Madison Magazine Reviews “Arrested Development”

davidccouperDecember 15, 2015Uncategorized

Improving Police: A Necessary Conversation

David Couper has made Madison’s police department one of the best in the world.

NEIL HEINEN, May, 2012

Give me the top five reasons Madison is a terrific city. I’ll wait. Now, how many of you have one of the best police departments in the world on your list? Interesting. Among other assets that make Madison a great place to live is a diverse group of cops who are highly educated, well-trained, patient, compassionate and even-tempered. We have one person in particular to thank for it: former chief David Couper.

Couper came to Madison in 1972 to head up a police department that was white, male, military in style and appearance and best known for whacking anti-war demonstrators on their long-haired noggins. A lot of officers on the force at that time didn’t like Couper. Change did not come easily. But it came. And now the Rev. David Couper…

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Published by davidccouper

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 calling for police improvement (for example, How To Rate Your Local Police, and with my wife, Sabine, Quality Policing: The Madison Experience). After retiring from the police department, I answered a call to ministry, attended seminary, and was ordained as a priest in the Episcopal Church. At the present time, I serve a small church in North Lake (WI), east of Madison. Sabine and I have nine adult children, eleven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. She is also a retired police officer and we both continue active lives. View all posts by davidccouper