Minnesota law enforcement officers will now officially fall under stricter scrutiny to make sure they're not part of extremist groups or are in other situations to provoke or promote racism.
The Peace Officers Standards and Training Board officially adopted the rules at a specially-called meeting Thursday, capping several years of work.
Hennepin County Sheriff Dewanna Witt joined Adam Carter and Jordana Green on WCCO Radio Friday morning, and said the goal has always been to hire the best candidates they can, morally.
“We would never knowingly or with any intention hire someone who discriminates or treats others lesser than a human being,” said Sheriff Witt.
She also reiterated the pool of available candidates for officer jobs continues to shrink--another factor hers and other departments face.
“We’re fighting amongst others to try to get good candidates,” said Witt.
The goal, Witt says, should be to create standards across the state that let departments know their officers face the same scrutiny that others face, no matter where they work.
“I would like to think everybody is doing their job,” said Witt. “What happens at one department–whether small or large–affects us all.”