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.

I know you’re pissed, but we gotta talk!

There is little doubt that we in America are into a major civic storm since the killing of George Floyd … More

Policing: A Black Cop’s Perspective

[Ed. Note: Major Hughes is from the generation that followed me after I retired in 1993. He began his career … More

Police Chiefs Speak on Reform and What’s Needed

In this “Critical Issues Report” from PERF, Executive Director Chuck Wexler asked five retired police chiefs to offer their best … More

We Need to Talk

The following is an excellent op-ed by Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales. It’s what every chief of police should be … More

Traffic Cops w/o Guns

Remember when cops used to write parking tickets? Today, most cities have unarmed parking enforcement officers. Maybe there’s more “armed … More

The Argument to Abolish Police

From Policy Link: Communities across the country are rising up and demanding that policymakers reallocate budgets by divesting from the … More

Socially Contracting a Dream

While talking with a number of clergy in Minneapolis about their city and their police (of which I was once … More

The Good Cop

[The following is an essay from a long-time friend and colleague, Chuck Wexler, Executive Director of the Police Executive Research … More

Creative Ideas

The following creative ideas come from Djohariah Singer from Middleton, MD. She is someone who has spent a lifetime in … More

Time to Wake Up!

How are society’s rules to be enforced? We can make sure they are backed up by threat of force (domination) … More