— Observations and experience of a veteran police chief from a 33-year career. — Studying and reflecting on the nature…
Breaking Trust: Why Local Police Should Not Enforce Federal Immigration Law
Today’s New York Times investigation highlights a disturbing and dangerous trend in American law enforcement: the rapid expansion of federal…
Another Sad Tale of Failed Police Reform
It is a bitter irony to watch the cycle of crisis and reform churn in Minneapolis—a city in which I…
Balancing order and freedom
In a free society, the legitimacy of policing rests not on power, but on the consent and cooperation of the…
Here We Go Again, This Time It’s Akron
Police Reform in Akron, Ohio: Moving to Take a Step Forward The Police Executive Research Forum recently completed a use-of-force…
Echoes of Police Reform
“Paradox: Echoes of Reform & the Minneapolis Police” is a three-episode Twin Cities PBS documentary series led by historian Yohuru…
The Thin Blue Line: A History
Policing a Free Society Dane County Historical Society — April 19, 2026 I had the pleasure (and blessing) of sharing…
The Future of Policing and the Policing Covenant
A Covenant for Democratic Policing The Future Policing Institute (FPI) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank founded and led by…
Your Bounden Duty: Seven Precepts for a Police Officer in a Free Society
Introduction When I was a young boy growing up in the Episcopal Church, I was given a small pamphlet called My…
Community-Oriented Policing: A Conversation Still Worth Having
There are moments in reflecting back to the work I did in policing to remind me why it matters. My…
Silence is Surrender
If Democracy Is To Hold, Local Police Must Resist I have watched American policing change—sometimes painfully slowly, sometimes faster than…
Improving Police: A Necessary Conversation 