Cliff Couch

Cliff Couch is a former police chief and a graduate of the FBI National Academy. He holds a master’s degree in public administration from Florida State University. He’s also attended Harvard’s Executive Education Program and Northwestern University’s School of Police Staff and Command. You can follow him on Twitter at @CliftonDCouch or on his blog, LifeofaLawman.com.

The FLSA public safety exemption needs to go

May 5, 2021

Timesheet day. It’s a dreaded event for supervisors and human resources departments everywhere. As the deadlines to process payroll approach, they scurry about furiously checking timesheets against policies, sending sheets […] Read More

Effective reform requires proper staffing

Why making changes without covering the basics can cause more harm than good

March 30, 2021

I was recently making my way through several bins in my basement. These particular bins contained a virtual treasure trove of unknowns, the result of my having moved several times […] Read More

Reality bites

City leadership placing value on the quality of law enforcement

February 23, 2021

“We have to do more with less.” I still remember the first time I heard an elected official say something to that effect in a council meeting. It struck me […] Read More

The irony of the defund movement

December 23, 2020

The headlines are chock-full of announcements that various municipalities are “defunding” their law enforcement agencies. In the same way that many peaceful protests in the wake of the in-custody death […] Read More