According to a new analysis from the ACLU of Wisconsin, 13 of Wisconsin’s 72 sheriff’s departments have signed cooperative agreements with federal immigration authorities. Under these agreements, they will help ICE identify and deport undocumented residents housed in local jails. Today’s guest, David Couper, predicts that up to 80% of Wisconsin sheriffs will eventually sign on. He joins host Esty Dinur to talk about ICE and democratic policing in Madison.

Couper says the city needs to continue fighting for “democratic policing,” a practice that includes being fair in the use of force, obeying the law while enforcing the law, and having a police force that looks like the community. When he was police chief in Madison, Couper worked to hire more women and people of color. In his experience, police in Madison are respected, but when people come to mistrust the police, the only way officers feel they can do their job is by using force. 

Just this week, Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said his office would not cooperate with ICE. Couper says that if Madison were to start rounding up undocumented people, “it’s all over.” At that point, no undocumented person is safe. He adds that ICE are not police, and that a free society shouldn’t have masked law enforcement. 

Rev. David C. Couper is a retired police chief and Episcopal priest who has spent his life working for justice, peace, and reconciliation. He served as Chief of Police in Madison, Wisconsin, from 1972 to 1993, where he became nationally recognized for progressive reforms in policing, community engagement, and diversifying a white, male police department to one which boldly proclaimed, “Diversity is our strength!” After retiring from law enforcement, he attended seminary and was ordained in the Episcopal Church, serving congregations in Wisconsin for over three decades. For over a decade, Rev. Couper has written and spoken on issues of justice, police reform, and public ethics through his blog, improvingpolice.blog, and several books of poetry. 

Featured image of David Couper and Esty Dinur in front of the WORT station, courtesy of Sara Gabler/WORT.

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