Joe L. Couto is an associate faculty member in Royal Roads University’s School of Communication and Culture. Couto is also a part-time professor at the University of Guelph-Humber and Humber College in Toronto. His area of research is LGBTQ police officers and intersectionality in gender, sexual orientation and organizational culture. Couto is the author of Covered in Blue: Police Culture and LGBT Police Officers in the Province of Ontario, a landmark academic study of gay police officers in Canada. His current research project, funded by the University of Guelph-Humber, is entitled, Female. Gay. Cop: The Intersectionality of Gender and Sexual Orientation in Police Culture.
Experience
Couto serves as director of government relations and communications for the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police. He also provides communications services through his company, Tourniquet Communications. Couto is a regular lecturer at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Business Management’s Police Leadership Program and at the Ontario Police College.
Education
2014
Master of Arts in Professional Communication
Royal Roads University
1988
Bachelor of Arts in Journalism
Ryerson University
Awards
2013
Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal
for contributions to policing and public safety in Canada
2016
Outstanding New Faculty Award
School of Communications and Culture at Royal Roads University
2017
Serving With Pride Ally Award
for academic and advocacy work with LGBTQ police officers