- Mini Bio
- Name: Tony Bouza
- Born: 10th April 1928, Ferrol, Spain
- Died: 26th June 2023, Bloomington, Minnesota, U.S.
- Occupation: Police officer and author
- Police rank: Served as chief of the Minneapolis Police Department from 1980 to 1989
- Books: A Carpet of Blue 1992, Police Unbound 2001, The Police Mystique 1990, The Decline and Fall Of the American Empire 1996, Expert Witness 2013
- Trivia: Tony Bouza ran for nomination for Governor of Minnesota in 1994 but he snatched defeat from the jaws of victory after calling for the confiscation of handguns.
"Our arrival in Brooklyn was a rude awakening to poverty"
Tony Bouza"I am an unapologetic supporter of the use of police violence, even lethal force, but it has to be guided by the law, the standards of reasonableness and the U.S. Constitution"
Tony Bouza"I see violence as a key weapon in the police arsenal and trained cops in the full range of possibilities available to us"
Tony Bouza"My only caveat is that the use of force has to be legally justified, measured, and appropriate, and that the weapons have to be in conformance with the law"
Tony Bouza"The law requires that officers can only use deadly force when deadly force is being used against them or someone in the area is using deadly force"
Tony Bouza"In the relationship between white cops and black citizens, you have an obligation to demonstrate the system will enforce the law"
Tony Bouza"They need to continue to struggle and get him under control, but they can’t shoot him"
Tony Bouza"Suddenly we were poor, living in tenements and scrounging enough to eat"
Tony Bouza"With the fury of an escaping convict, for the first time in my life I really studied, trained and prepared for the effort"
Tony Bouza"Artists are prophets. They define the meaning of our lives and point the way"
Tony Bouza"When you bunch people together they become neurotic rats"
Tony Bouza"The real crime in America is one of poverty and race"
Tony BouzaGreat quotes are not where you find great wisdom. It's where you share this knowledge that counts
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Tony Bouza Biography
Tony Bouza was born and raised in a shipbuilding city called Ferrol in Galicia in northern Spain until the age of nine when his family emigrated to the U.S.
Bouza joined the NYPD where he rose to the rank of commander in the Bronx area of New York. He was headhunted to become the chief of police in Minneapolis where he successfully served three terms, he was later described as the best police chief New York city never had.
Upon retirement he put pen to paper and was author of eight books and his maverick ways meant it was most interesting researching and selecting my compilation of 12 of the best Tony Bouza quotes.
Quotes About Tony Bouza
The Star Tribune journalist Randy Furst made this assessment: "For most of the past quarter century, he has been a witness for the defense across the country, testifying in law suits, some of them major cases, on behalf of people who have alleged wrongdoing by police departments"
The Attorney Mike Freeman responding to some Bouza press criticism: "It is obvious that Tony has not reviewed all of the evidence, as I have, but beyond that, I have no comment"