Patrolman P: A Crooked Cop’s Fight to Clear His Name

This post was written by DOC NYC blogger Katie Lewin

Saturday evening at DOC NYC saw the world premiere of PATROLMAN P, the culmination of seven years of work for director Ido Mizrahy and journalist Geoffrey Gray, along with “Patrolman P” himself, Bill Phillips.  The film revolves around an incredible story of dirty cops, shocking headlines, murder, massive court cases, and one man’s fight to clear his name. While the plot sounds like it was cooked up in the office of a Hollywood screenwriter, the events all took place in the turbulent times of New York City in the 1970s.

As a journalist, Geoffrey Gray followed the story of Phillips, a police officer who provided the Knapp Commission—an official inquiry into police corruption—with damning evidence. Phillips was subsequently arrested and prosecuted for the double homicide of a pimp and prostitute—a crime he says he not only did not commit, but was framed for by the vengeful police force.  Mizrahy relies on archival footage from police training videos, along with photographs of Phillips living the high life and ensconced in his murder trial.  The varied of footage makes for exciting viewing, lending the film a voyeuristic quality as we gain insight into the era.

There was tangible excitement in the air as DOC NYC Artistic Director Thom Powers introduced Mizrahy, Gray and Phillips onto the stage for the Q&A. Phillips was evidently still passionate about his quest to clear his name, and responded to a question from the audience about who Phillips suspected of committing the murder with a lengthy summary about the likely culprit. Gray commented that his film was part of a new spate of unlawful imprisonment cases coming to light in the wake of DNA evidence, an “epidemic of innocence,” as he put it. The investigation into Phillips’ case is far from over, and it seemed as if Phillips was hopeful that this film might not only alert people to his case, but also help his goal to reveal the truth.

Now a man in his 80s, Phillips is a sympathetic character with a lot to say about the injustice he suffered. His work and diligence on his own case is at once impressive and tragic but, as he said following the film, ‘”A guilty guy doesn’t fight like this.”