An international documentary showing gun violence in Milwaukee in graphic detail has sparked outrage among some residents and prompted an alderman to demand answers from the Milwaukee Police Department.

Louis Theroux’s documentary "Dark States: Murder in Milwaukee" aired on BBC2 and has since swept across social media. The film crew interviewed residents who carry guns for protection and went inside the crime tape with Milwaukee police detectives and officers, showing close-up footage of two homicide victims and a person injured in a crash.

"It was pretty horrific," Ald. Khalif Rainey said Friday.

Rainey and others interviewed acknowledge the city has some areas where gun crime — and despair — are commonplace. Year after year, the Milwaukee Homicide Review Commission has found deadly violence is concentrated in tight geographic spaces and disproportionately affects men of color, with firearms involved in more than 80% of all homicides.

But they say the documentary is distorted and shows none of the ongoing, community-driven efforts to stop those trends — even though the same film crew interviewed people working for positive change.

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Rainey and others also said they were "shocked" at the level of access Milwaukee police gave to the cameras.

"I really need to know what the process was," Rainey said, later adding: "There's a need for restoration between the Milwaukee Police Department and residents."

Rainey, who represents the neighborhood where much of the filming took place, sent a letter to Police Chief Edward Flynn on Friday, asking him to explain how and why the film crew had such access.

He requested Ald. Bob Donovan, chairman of the Public Safety and Health Committee, take up the issue. Donovan, who has not seen the film, said the committee will. He said he also has questions based on what has been described to him.

"I've never been allowed access behind the yellow tape," Donovan said. "To me, that's irresponsible because then you are ending up contaminating a crime scene.

"I don't know what MPD was attempting to prove by doing that," he said.

The Milwaukee Police Department signed off on giving the BBC access "to shadow the Milwaukee Police Metropolitan Investigations Unit and other District level officers" and allowed the film crew to do ride-alongs, according to a police spokesman.

"The stated purpose of the project was to highlight the work of MPD investigators and officers in combating violent crime in Milwaukee," Sgt. Tim Gauerke said Friday in an email.

"BBC employees were given guidance as to what material could be shown to ensure investigations were not compromised," he said. "However, MPD had absolutely no input on the editorial decisions of the British Broadcasting Corporation as to what was contained in the final cut of the documentary."

BBC filmed in 2016

The BBC team visited Milwaukee several times last year and spent days covering Vaun Mayes, who runs "Program the Parks" to keep kids safe, and Khalil Coleman, who co-founded "Safe Zones," a program to interrupt disputes before they escalate to violence.

None of that footage was included in the final documentary.

"I immediately wondered why it was so negative and showing no positive," Mayes said. "We were told they were covering black activism and the so-called struggle in Milwaukee."

Jamaal Smith said he was "disgusted" when he watched the film.

"There are 240,000 black people in the city and when you look at that video, it looks as if this is all that happens with all black people: murder, mayhem, gun violence," said Smith, who is the YWCA's racial justice community engagement manager.

"It couldn't be further from the truth," he said. "We care about quality of life just like anyone else, and for this video to come out and make it seem as if we don't and we don't have morals and values is absurd."

Mayes and Smith pointed out the documentary has international reach at a time when the city is trying to broker development deals and entice companies to relocate here.

And both repeatedly questioned the film crew's access to the Police Department and the BBC's decision to air such graphic footage.

In general, media outlets request ride-along opportunities from police agencies and it is up to those agencies to decide whether to grant permission. If permission is granted, the media outlets and police agencies sign forms stating the city is not liable if a reporter is injured or other problems occur. The Milwaukee Police Department also has required proof of insurance for media outlets in recent years.

A BBC producer first began reaching out to Milwaukee sources, including reporters, in early 2016.

In an email sent in March 2016 to a Journal Sentinel reporter, Oli Roy, the project's assistant producer, wrote the following:

"We make objective documentary films which, far from being agenda-led or sensationalistic in tone, are balanced, sensitive and thoughtfully made, and this means that we are not only interested in sensitively exploring difficult subject matters, but also the positive work of police, community groups and organizations who work tirelessly to forge a bright future for the proud citizens of cities."

That's the opposite of what residents say they saw on screen, particularly when it came to the two homicide scenes.

"There was no regard for that person's life," Smith said. "There was no regard for how that person felt at the time of realizing their loved one had just been killed or how it affects the community."