Author: 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 almost 30 years serving in and leading two Episcopal Churches in the Diocese of Milwaukee, I am "sort-of" in the process of retirement. Life is good.

Again, What the Heck?

The following is from an article today in the New York Times by Jesus Jiménez. I have summarized it below. The account … More

What Cops Want!

Bruce Sokolove, fellow Marine, friend and long-term police trainer (“Coach Sok”), alerted me this recent and noteworthy article by Dr. … More

Exceptional Policing

I led the Madison (Wisc.) Police Department for over 20 years (1972-1993). Looking back at the work we did, I … More

Time for a Reset!

There is no doubt that police in America have been through a tough period of time since the 2014 death … More

Diversity is Our Strength!

My constant, almost daily response, when talking with the press and community groups during my lengthy leadership career was to … More

Remember George Floyd?

[Protestors demonstrate outside of a burning fast food restaurant, Friday, May 29, 2020, in Minneapolis. Protests over the death of … More

The Madison Method

[Back in the old days before Madison Police learned from their past experiences.] [The first test for Madison Police under … More

Mapping Gun Violence

New York Times, May 15, 2024. Tracking Violence By Robert Gebeloff [Some excerpts from his article… my emphases] “To document the … More