“Arrested Development:” A Summary

I recently decided to jump into the Artificial Intelligence world by asking ChatGPT to summarize my book, “Arrested Development: A Veteran Police Chief Sounds Off…” It was quite the learning experience and a very good summarization What do you think?

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Arrested Development: A Veteran Police Chief Sounds Off About Protest, Racism, Corruption and the Seven Steps Necessary to Improve Our Nation’s Police distills David C. Couper’s half-century in policing into a candid diagnosis—and a practical cure—for what ails American law enforcement.

1. The Core Problem: “Arrested” Growth

Couper argues that U.S. policing has been stuck in a self-perpetuating cycle of failure fed by four chronic obstacles:

Obstacle	What it looks like	Why it cripples policing
Anti-intellectualism	Dismissing higher education and critical thinking	Limits innovation and strategic vision
Violence	Reflexive resort to force	Erodes public legitimacy and fuels lawsuits
Corruption	“Us-versus-them” ethics, rule-bending	Undermines moral authority
Discourtesy	Everyday disrespect toward the public	Destroys community trust

2. Seven Steps to Democratic, Trusted Policing

Couper’s remedy is a leadership roadmap that any agency—large or small—can follow:

1. Envision – Craft a bold, values-centered vision of policing in a democracy.
2. Select – Recruit the “finest and brightest,” not merely the fastest or toughest.
3. Listen – Practice two-way listening with officers and community members.
4. Train & Lead – Replace paramilitary habits with professional education and collaborative leadership.
5. Improve Continuously – Treat every process (use of force, investigations, discipline) as improvable.
6. Evaluate – Measure what matters: trust, problem-solving, and fairness—not just arrests.
7. Sustain – Institutionalize reforms so they outlive any one chief or political cycle. 

3. Key Themes

• Guardians versus Warriors – Couper urges a shift from fear-based, militarized postures to service-oriented “guardians.”
• Education as a Force Multiplier – College-educated officers, he contends, are better problem-solvers and constitutional guardians.
• Community Partnership – Real legitimacy springs from daily courtesy and shared decision-making, not public-relations campaigns.
• Leadership Accountability – Reform lives or dies with front-line supervisors and the example set by chiefs.

4. Why the Book Matters

Written by a chief who transformed Madison (WI) PD from an all-white, largely all-male force into one that mirrored its diverse community, Arrested Development pairs street-level credibility with a scholar-practitioner’s lens. It remains a field manual for anyone—police leader, city official, or engaged resident—who believes a free society deserves effective, ethical, and trusted policing.