Donald Fraser, who was newly elected as mayor of Minneapolis in 1980, brought in Bouza to be his police chief. Fraser wanted an outsider and a reformer to head the department following a series of scandals under his predecessor. He retained Bouza for a total of three three-year terms.[5]
Bouza had a difficult relationship with the police officers he led in Minneapolis.[6] Within weeks of becoming chief, Bouza reduced the number of police precincts from 6 to 4 and replaced two-member squads with single-member squads in most of the city. Officers blamed the 1981 murder of police officer Richard P. Miller on the switch to single-member squads.[7] In a cost-cutting move, he also instituted a promotion freeze that ran until 1986.[8]
After stepping down as chief, Bouza served as Minnesota gaming commissioner from 1989 to 1991 and then briefly as director of the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence in Washington, D.C.[6] In 1994, Bouza unsuccessfully sought the Democratic Farmer Labor Party nomination for Governor of Minnesota. He lost the nomination to John Marty.[9]
After retiring from policing, Bouza testified for the defense in many trials across the country alleging police mistreatment.[10]
Bouza was author of nine books, including trade books: The Police Mystique: An Insider's Look at Cops, Crime, and the Criminal Justice System (1990),[11]A Carpet of Blue: An Ex-Cop Takes a Tough Look at America's Drug Problem (1991),[12]Police Unbound: Corruption, Abuse, and Heroism by the Boys in Blue (2001),[13]The Decline and Fall of the American Empire: Corruption, Decadence, and the American Dream (2003),[14] and Expert Witness: Breaking the Policemen's Blue Code of Silence (2013),[15] as well as two technical books: Police Intelligence: The Operations of an Investigative Unit (AMS Press, 1976)[16] and Police Administration (Elsevier, 1978).[17][3][10]
Bouza wrote a monthly column for the Minneapolis community paperSouthside Pride.[18]
Personal life
Bouza's wife, Erica Bouza, who was born in the United Kingdom, was arrested repeatedly for engaging in anti-militarism protests against Honeywell while Bouza was Minneapolis police chief in the 1980s.[10] The Bouzas had two sons, Anthony Jr. and Dominick.[6]
^ abcd"Anthony V. Bouza". The Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy (CEBCP). Archived from the original on October 23, 2020. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
^Bouza, Anthony V. (1992). A carpet of blue: an ex-cop takes a tough look at America's drug problem. Minneapolis, Minn: Deaconess Pr. ISBN978-0925190208.