— Observations and experience of a veteran police chief from a 33-year career. — Studying and reflecting on the nature…
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…
Remember What We Built
As a growing presence of federal law enforcement comes to our towns and cities and looms in our future, let’s…
The Thin Blue Line
A Crisis of Allegiance A dangerous collision is imminent between federal overreach and the front-line reality of local policing. Across America,…
Improving Police: A Necessary Conversation 