Since the late 1970s there has been a 15,000 percent increase in SWAT team raids in the United States. Tonight on SDPB-TV, tune in for the Independent Lens feature documentary “Peace Officer.” (8 p.m. CT, 7 p.m. MT)
It’s a look at the increasingly militarized state of American police as told through the story of William “Dub” Lawrence. He founded the state of Utah’s first SWAT team and then, 30 years later watched SWAT officers as they surrounded his son-in-law, who stood with a gun to his head in his own driveway.
The controversial standoff culminated in the shooting of Dub’s son-in-law, and Dub Lawrence became obsessed with uncovering the truth behind the shooting, as well as with other officer-involved shootings and the shifting nature of the role of peace officers nationwide.
Dakota Midday host Lori Walsh sits down with Dub Lawrence and Scott Christopherson. Christopherson is director, producer, and cinematographer for “Peace Officer.” Lawrence is former sheriff of Davis County. He is currently a part-time private investigator.
