Words Matter

“Words mean more than what is set down on paper.  It takes the human voice to infuse them with deeper meaning.” – Maya Angelou April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), and like many organizations …

Climate Change

The origin of the word climate dates back to 1375, from Old French climat, from Latin clima – “to slope”, from Proto-Indo-European klei – “to lean”. In its earliest and still most common usage, climate …

On the Side of Peace

The warnings started from day one. Since I set out on this new adventure as Chief of the UW-Madison Police Department last January, nearly everyone I have met here on campus has issued me the …

Advancing the Vision

“Members of communities are key partners in creating public safety, so communities and police need mechanisms to engage with each other in consistent and meaningful ways.”      – President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing …

A Difficult “Peace”

This is a difficult piece to write.  It’s difficult because in response to concerns and criticisms I have received following a recent Crime Warning my department issued — this written offering attempts to explain our …

Reaching Higher

In this short Life That only lasts an hour How much – how little – is Within our power For the better part of my career, I’ve had a printed copy of this Emily Dickenson …