In the early 90s I was a Twin Peaks freak. . . and secretly in love with Special Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan), the quirky FBI agent who comes to town to investigate the murder of Laura Palmer. Granted, most detectives don’t have the benefit of psychic dreams featuring a backwards-talking midget to help solve cases. But there is a lot that investigators can learn from the (sadly) fictional Agent Cooper’s unconventional methods.
1. ‘Harry, I have no idea where this will lead us, but I have a definite feeling it will be a place both wonderful and strange.’
Agent Cooper had an encyclopedic knowledge of procedure, but he wasn’t afraid to open himself up to new methods, such as the Tibetan Buddhist method of throwing stones or believing in psychic link through dreams. For Agent Cooper, intuition was just as important as hard facts.
2. ‘You’re beautiful, intelligent, desirable…You’re everything that a man wants in his life. But what you need right now, more than anything else, is a friend.’
If you are wondering whether Dale Cooper had integrity, keep in mind that the guy turned down a naked 18-year-old Audrey Horne (Sherilyn Fein, a woman so smoking hot she looked sexy as a limbless stump in Boxing Helena) because, as an FBI agent, he knew that he had to stick to his principles.
So, in a touching scene, he promises to be her friend and orders burgers and fries. (BTW I still think that they should have hooked up later).
3. Dale Cooper: ‘Who’s the lady with the log?’ 
Sheriff Harry S. Truman: ‘We call her the log lady.
‘Agent Cooper put his ego aside and humbled himself on numerous occasions. When the log lady said that her piece of wood was a witness, he politely gave the stump a cognitive interview over a cup of tea.
Seriously, how many FBI agents do you know would would be willing to take a statement from a log with a straight face?
4. ‘Denise, you’re in for a real surprise.’
He may have gotten a shock when he found out that his old DEA buddy Denis Bryson had now become cross-dressing ‘Denise’, played by David Duchovny in a dress. But he did not judge, and always showed his colleagues respect.
5. ‘Harry, I’m going to let you in on a little secret: every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don’t plan it; don’t wait for it; just let it happen.’
Despite the death and dark dealings in the town around him, Agent Cooper kept his childlike sense of wonder – even asking about the majestic fir trees during an autopsy scene. He stopped to appreciate the small things like a ‘damn fine’ cup of black coffee and, of course, his beloved cherry pie at the Double R diner.