All Cops Are

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This project is now archived and was part of DDW22

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Embassy of Safety

All Cops Are

Atelier Yuri Veerman / Jokko Voogt

In All Cops Are, a group of police officers allow themselves to be profiled by random passersby on the street. By subjecting each cop to the experiment both in plain clothes and in uniform, the project shows a judgment in stereo: a reflection on the human being as well as the cop.

Dutch Police officers profiled by random passerby.

What do you see when you look at another person? What is stands out immediately? What is difficult or impossible to see? How do you characterise the person facing you and how do you arrive at this judgment? In All Cops Are, a group of police officers allow themselves to be profiled by random passersby on the street. Judging by appearance, body posture, eye gaze, skin color, gender, clothing or facial expressions, different citizens provide a profile of the police officer standing in front of them. By subjecting each cop to the experiment both in plain clothes and in uniform, we get a judgment in stereo: a reflection on the person as well as the cop. All Cops Are was developed as part of the Social Design Police program in collaboration with Lotte Asma, a youth officer in Hengelo. The project investigates the mechanism of stereotyping and the relationship between police and citizens. The title refers to the English acronym ACAB which stands for All Cops Are Bastards, a political slogan best known among squatters, anarchists, activists, hooligans and, of course, the police themselves. The slogan has become known since the 1980s as an anti-police and anti-establishment slogan.