I sense that today many people in our communities are waiting for their police leaders to stand up and declare their commitment to the sanctity of life and and to articulate the specific actions they are willing to take in improving training, policy, and oversight to make this commitment a reality.
Since the events in Ferguson, Missouri in 2015, I have searched for police leaders who were willing to publicly make this commitment. It takes courage.
In my experience, this is the only way that trust can be built and maintained. For trust in police is necessary in order for citizens to support and cooperate with their police.
All of this, control in use of force, lawful conduct, showing respect, and having the ability to deeply listen to others is necessary to have an effective police function in a free, diverse and democratic society.
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.
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Improving Police: A Necessary Conversation 
I’m with you.
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Thanks, John, always appreciate the feedback. We are not alone.
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