Trust-Building: Five Bold Steps

David CouperOctober 24, 2015Uncategorized

Five Bold Steps That Will Help Build Trust and Support of Your Police

In keeping with the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing and my own belief in the high-calling of police in a democratic society, the following five steps need to be immediately taken and committed to by your civic leaders. You need to know that…

1. Your police department will work closely with you and is accountable to you in effectively responding to crime and other disorder in your community.

2. All new police officers hired will hold a minimum of a bachelor’s degree and are well-trained and competent in the essential skills of policing a democracy.

3. Overall, at least 10 percent of your officers will be from racial minority groups and at least 20 percent will be women.

4. Your police will be unconditionally respectful in performing their duties, non-biased, controlled in their use of force, and will be highly committed to the preservation of life.

5. Your police will strive to continuously improve and exceed your expectations.

Effective policing happens when police listen, work closely with, and are accountable to those whom they serve.

Published by David Couper

I served over 20 years as the chief of police in Madison (WI), four years as chief of the Burnsville (MN) Police Department, and before that as a police officer in Edina (MN) and the City of Minneapolis. I hold graduate degrees from the University of Minnesota and Edgewood College in Madison. I have written many articles over my years as a police leader. After retiring from the police department, I answered a call to ministry, attended seminary, and was ordained as a priest in the Episcopal Church. After 25 years leading two Episcopal Churches in Portage and North Lake, Wisconsin, I now serve as Associate Pastor in a growing, dynamic, and Spirit-filled Lutheran congregation in nearby Mazomanie. View all posts by David Couper

6 Comments

Kris Knight says:

October 24, 2015 at 10:38 am

This stuff is great, DAvid. Who is your main audience for your blog? >

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1. improvingpolice says:
  
  October 24, 2015 at 10:43 am
  
  Thanks, Kris, I have never surveyed my audience. There’s about 1,500 followers and I think they are a combination of police, concerned citizens, and community activists…
  
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25sam16 says:

October 25, 2015 at 4:20 pm

Chief – I just listened to you live at the PERF Town Hall in Chicago – you make some great points, and your tenets are as timeless as ever. Some of the goals are lofty, but none are unattainable. Well said.

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1. improvingpolice says:
  
  October 25, 2015 at 4:36 pm
  
  Thanks. We can turn this all around. I am impressed by what I have seen and heard here in Chicago.
  
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  1. 25sam16 says:
    
    October 25, 2015 at 4:38 pm
    
    Really good stuff. The procedural justice discussions are tuned more easily to infusing these ideals into the police culture. I’m hopeful about the lessons and about the empirical results.
    
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