Arrested Development: A Veteran Police Chief Sounds Off About Racism, Protest, Corruption and the Seven Steps Necessary to Improve Our Nation's Police

by David C. Couper

This book describes the career and lessons learned by David Couper during his three decades as a patrol officer, detective and chief of police in four American city police departments. In Madison, Couper spent over twenty years transforming that police department and ending the “war at home;” a bitter, multi-year battle between University of Wisconsin students and Madison police. His strategy called “The Madison Method” is a major part of successful police strategies.
His story is both personal and professional . Couper was a cop by night and university student by day. His book takes the reader through an abbreviated history of American police, their “missed opportunities” to evolve into a democratic, rights-oriented police service, the difficulty of implementing and maintaining improvements, and what can be done today after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, a city in which Couper served as a police officer and detective.
Looking back over sixty years, Couper identifies the “Four Obstacles” which continue to “arrest” the growth and development of our nation’s

334 pages, Paperback

Published December 16, 2021