Peace Officer
In 1974 at the ripe age of 25, Bill Masters, a self-described “Valley Boy” from Los Angeles, drove to Telluride in a Volkswagen Bug with $20 in his pocket to be a ski bum but was unexpectedly “shanghaied” into becoming Town Marshal.
Now, after 50 years on the force, America's longest-serving sheriff prepares to hang up his badge.
Peace Officer captures Bill Master's final chapter — and the hard-won wisdom he’s taking with him.
Over his five decades in the rugged mountains of San Miguel County, the Sheriff grappled with avalanches of snow, blizzards of cocaine, one serial killer, two cult deaths and the mysterious murder of an heiress to the U-Haul fortune...
...all while never firing his gun in action.
About the Film
Peace Officer is a visually arresting feature documentary chronicling the final months of Sheriff Bill Masters' remarkable five-decade career in Colorado's San Miguel County.
Known for his fierce independence, pragmatic leadership, and unflinching honesty, Masters has long challenged conventional thinking on law enforcement—from rejecting the war on drugs to redefining what justice means in a polarized America. Set against the rugged backdrop of the San Juan Mountains, the film offers a deeply personal portrait of a man who stood firm while the ground beneath law enforcement shifted.
Directed by David Holbrooke, this story is not just about a sheriff—it’s about the complex legacy of power, service, and principle.
Meet the Director
David first conceived Original Thinkers in 2004 as a film company that would produce a series of profiles of smart, fresh voices who were off of the mainstream media’s radar. The first film was Live from Shiva’s Dance Floor, which premiered at Sundance and was directed by the brilliant Richard Linklater, featuring the astonishingly smart NYC tour guide Speed Levitch. As David directed additional short documentaries his intention was to inspire other filmmakers to find their favorite original thinker to profile and fill out the series.
In 2007, David happily put his OT plans on hold as he became Festival Director of Telluride Mountainfilm, where he spent a decade building the festival into a force in the environmental space. Over his tenure, he got to see first hand how important it was to gather, to take in culture that was imbued with meaning, and to discuss it and have a shared experience.
With that in mind, in 2018 Original Thinkers was reborn with the launch of its flagship festival event in Telluride, Colorado. The first Original Thinkers was held in October against a backdrop of golden aspens and snow-capped mountains. It was truly a glorious weekend with the intrepid staff, courageous audiences and bold speakers all showing up to see what this new paradigm was all about. It worked, and here we are today presenting fresh ideas through story and creating a community of original thinkers.
At Original Thinkers, David and the team are committed to making sure that they look at the world through a human lens, and honor everyone’s story, knowing we all can be original thinkers when we put our mind to it and there is wisdom in our ways.
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