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Improving Police: A Necessary Conversation

Improving Police: A Necessary Conversation

A veteran police chief committed to improving police leadership, trust, effectiveness, and officer safety.

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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.

You Are at a Crossroads: Stand with the Constitution or With Cruelty

Without judicial warrants, ICE detainers are illegal. If you obey them, you betray your oath of office and destroy the … More

community oriented policing, Constitution, courage, duty, ethics, ICE, immigration, morality, politics, Rule of Law

Police Leaders: Do Not Become Trump’s Pawns

“Stop Attacking Our Cities to Hide Your Administration’s Failures.” — Boston Mayor Michelle Wu Mayor Michelle Wu was speaking to … More

Code of ethics, community oriented policing, Donald Trump, history, pawns, politics, resist, Rule of Law, the-constitution, Trump

Is This What We Are Becoming?

Take look at the video and article below from today’s Washington Post. As a former chief of police, I can … More

A Moral Challenge to Police in America

Will You Stand Between Your Community and Injustice? In a free and democratic society, the mission of police is clear: … More

Code of ethics, community-oriented, Constitution, ethics, ICE, immigration, moral-challenge, police, politics, Trump

Wake Up! We Are in Trouble

American Policing is in Crisis—and the Answers Are Already on the Shelf! The third edition of my book, Arrested Development: … More

books, continuous improvement, crisis, democratic policing, history, improvement, police

Winding Down in a Perilous Time for Policing a Free Society

I am getting tired. I think I have said here all that needs to be said. With masked ICE agents … More

David Couper, democracy, education, free society, history, ICE, masked-cj-agents, policing, political-danger

What Will You Stand Up For?

From Police Chief to Priest: A Lifetime Commitment to Peace and Justice When I first pinned on a police badge … More

august-2nd, David Couper, demonstraation, faith, history, justice-and-peace, news, protest, reistance, religion, resist-govt-cruelty, silent-march

We Are Becoming a Nation of Fear — And That Must Stop

ICE Agents in Philadelphia — Fox News Nothing alarms me more than the executive branch using cruelty as a political … More

accountability, fear, ice-agents, immigration, masks, resist, Rule of Law, the-constitution, unidentifiable, use of force

Hiring a Chief in My Home Town

On July 14, I asked to provide the Madison Police and Fire Commission some input to their process of selecting … More

“Arrested Development:” A Summary

I recently decided to jump into the Artificial Intelligence world by asking ChatGPT to summarize my book, “Arrested Development: A … More

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Recent Posts

  • Your Bounden Duty: Seven Precepts for a Police Officer in a Free Society
  • Community-Oriented Policing: A Conversation Still Worth Having
  • Silence is Surrender
  • Remember What We Built
  • The Thin Blue Line

Top Posts & Pages

  • How a Traffic Offense Can Be a Ticket to Prison
    How a Traffic Offense Can Be a Ticket to Prison
  • About
    About
  • Author
    Author
  • Hazing and Bullying in the Police Academy
    Hazing and Bullying in the Police Academy
  • Your Bounden Duty: Seven Precepts for a Police Officer in a Free Society
    Your Bounden Duty: Seven Precepts for a Police Officer in a Free Society
  • Herman Goldstein: 1931-2020
    Herman Goldstein: 1931-2020
  • Legal v. Moral
    Legal v. Moral
  • Thinking Police
    Thinking Police
  • The Police Boot Camp is Another Very Bad Idea
    The Police Boot Camp is Another Very Bad Idea
  • What Nelson Mandela Learned About Leadership in Prison
    What Nelson Mandela Learned About Leadership in Prison
Follow me on Twitter @bocougar

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