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.

Officer, When the Going is Tough, the Tough Get Going!

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE I know things are tough out there on the street. It’s no … More

Time to Re-imagine Your Police

I put together a short video on this important topic as many cities across America consider de-funding/eliminating their police departments. … More

Do You Understand What’s Going On?

Officers, do you understand what is going on? You can no longer be silent. The Facebook post linked below is … More

Chief, What Do You Have to Say?

This is what we stood up and said in a 1992 press release after police in Los Angeles viciously beat … More

A Black Judge and White Cop Sound Off

“‘Until we change, we’re going to keep revisiting these events year after year after year,’ says David Couper, former police … More

On Leadership

I do almost daily “Walk in the Woods: short videos on a variety of topics that come up during this … More

Walking in the Woods and Thinking About Police

Here’s one of my “Walk in the Woods.” In it, i think about police, my years with them, and my … More

Voices of Four Police Leaders

CBS News, June 9, 2020 “Protesters, who have flooded the streets across the U.S. following the killing of George Floyd, … More

Raise the Standard: Save Lives, Build Trust

“We will not have a trusted police until the standard for using deadly force by police is raised to that … More

Living as Brothers and Sisters

How a different way of policing could change everything [From the Wisconsin Examiner,” June 5, 2020.] By David Couper Where … More