The Promise

David CouperJune 5, 2019May 23, 2019Uncategorized

Your Police Department’s Promise?

We hold ourselves accountable to the highest of human standards and strive to provide exceptional service for you every time.

We Promise To:

Listen With Compassion

We will be focused and considerate while listening to you.

Communicate Effectively

We will communicate clearly and make decisions in partnership with you whenever possible..

Respect You

We will respect you and always treat you with dignity.

Use of Force

We will always attempt to de-escalate emotional situations and use the least amount of force to control you. Deadly force will only be used as a last resort and when absolutely necessary.

(The above statement has been modified from the University of Wisconsin Hospital’s patient promise. https://www.uwhealth.org/patient-guides/uw-health/uw-healths-patient-and-family-experience-promise/51225. The physical force promise is my own.)

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 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. 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 Black Earth. After losing Sabine, my wife of 40 years to cancer, I met Christine, a retired nurse and widow. We were blessed to find love again and married in 2021. View all posts by David Couper