The literature suggests that Minneapolis and other police departments should use a comprehensive hiring process that includes multiple psychological tests and assessments to evaluate candidates. This should include both abnormal and normal range personality tests used together, as recent research shows this approach is more effective at identifying officers prone to misconduct or excessive force. Backgrounds checks, social media reviews, and polygraph tests can also help uncover biases or affiliation with hate groups. Comprehensive psychological screening during hiring can detect traits that indicate an officer may not be suited for high-stress policing and help prevent problem officers from being hired.

1. 1. what is the protocol for getting rid of/suspending officers
who have performed misconduct
· THE MINNEAPOLIS POLICE DEPARTMENT is notoriously
ineffective at removing bad cops from its ranks.
· Numerous lawsuits, independent investigations and the
disciplinary files obtained by the Reformer show a pattern of
mismanagement when it comes to holding officers accountable.
· Department leaders are routinely blind to numerous warning
signs that problem officers pose a danger to the public.
Max Nesterak, M. R. D. 15. (2021, October 7). The bad cops:
How Minneapolis protects its worst police officers until it's too
late. Minnesota Reformer. Retrieved April 2, 2022, from
https://minnesotareformer.com/2020/12/15/the-bad-cops-how-
minneapolis-protects-its-worst-police-officers-until-its-too-late/
(Max Nesterak, 2021)
2. should we do background checks
· Only when officers commit the most egregious acts of abuse -
are they removed from the force
· Chief Art Knight was demoted from deputy chief later this
year after another instance of being too frank, when he warned
that unless the department changed its recruiting practices, it
would wind up with “the same old white boys.”
Max Nesterak, M. R. D. 15. (2021, October 7). The bad cops:
How Minneapolis protects its worst police officers until it's too
late. Minnesota Reformer. Retrieved April 2, 2022, from
https://minnesotareformer.com/2020/12/15/the-bad-cops-how-
minneapolis-protects-its-worst-police-officers-until-its-too-late/

2. (Max Nesterak, 2021)
· Peter Brazeau and Alexander Brown were both relieved of
duty for the severe beating of a intoxicated patron in handcuffs
in 2016. Unfortunately, the MPD not only put them back to
work, the department also made them field training officers --
FTOs.
· Having cops with records of misconduct train new generations
of recruits is all too common for the MPD.
· Of the more than 400 Minneapolis cops who have served as
FTOs since 2016, nearly a third of them – like Brazeau and
Brown -- have been disciplined or named in lawsuits that have
cost taxpayers more than $34 million, a KARE 11 investigation
has found.
· The most well-known case of such an officer was Derek
Chauvin, one of the MPD’s most prolific trainers before
murdering George Floyd.
· Chauvin continued as an FTO even though records show in
2017 he had beaten a 14-year-old boy and held him down with a
knee on his back.
· FTOs do more than train new recruits, said Randy Shrewsberry
of the Institute for Criminal Justice Reform. They create a
culture. And if they have histories of misconduct, “They’re just
passing those bad habits or those very dangerous viewpoints
onto another officer and then it becomes kind of this vicious
cycle,” Shrewsberry said.
(KARE11), B. S. (2022, February 24). Kare 11 investigates:
Nearly 150 MPD cops with misconduct history served as
trainers. kare11.com. Retrieved April 1, 2022, from

3. https://www.kare11.com/article/news/investigations/kare-11-
investigates-nearly-150-mpd-cops-with-misconduct-history-
served-as-trainers/89-29969f7c-e52a-4b6a-bd49-b6a08dddbe05
(KARE11, 2022)
· New complaints of misconduct against the Minneapolis Police
Department hit a record high in 2018, jumping 41.5% to 569
from 402 in the year prior, according to the city's most recent
Comprehensive Annual Financial Report.
Smith, K. (2020, June 4). Minneapolis police misconduct
complaints hit a record high in 2018. CBS News. Retrieved
April 1, 2022, from
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/minneapolis-police-misconduct-
complaints-record-high-2018/
(Smith, 2020)
3. should we ask questions in the interview about their
management of anger
· Like most police departments in the United States,
Minneapolis requires job applicants to go through a
psychological screening before they're hired (Max Nesterak,
2021).
· To improve the screening process, one former FBI agent is
developing a polygraph test specifically aimed at detecting
prospective hires who have racist tendencies.
· Others stress the need to revamp the entire hiring process to
weed out those who might use excessive force, especially
against Black males.
· The Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training,

4. which oversees the licensing of officers is lobbying for federal
approval to conduct criminal history checks on recruits, among
other reforms, said interim director Erik Misselt. Checks are
currently handled by local police departments.
· But the sense of urgency in tightening up the recruitment
process has ratcheted higher since the death of George Floyd
· Background investigators have also become adept at revi ewing
social media posts and body ink -- two of the most prevalent
tools for unearthing biases or affiliation with hate groups.
· James Stern, a retired FBI agent, believes there is a way to
test for racial animus.
· With questions like “Do you discriminate against people of
color” and “Have you ever committed an act of violence against
someone based on their ethnicity,” he developed a polygraph
test aimed at detecting bias and prior commission of hate
crimes.
· “Anyone who is a racist or anti other groups, or who has the
propensity to violate civil rights -- not all of them are overt,”
said James Stern a retired FBI agent
· “A specific-issue polygraph examination would wash out a lot
of those people.” said James Stern a retired FBI agent
Layne, N. (2020, July 17). In wake of Floyd killing, screening
of U.S. police recruits is under focus. Reuters. Retrieved April
1, 2022, from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-race-
usa-policing/in-wake-of-floyd-killing-screening-of-u-s-police-
recruits-is-under-focus-idUSKCN24I2O4
(Layne, 2020)

5. what does the literature say is a good way of doing the hiring
process so that you don't get those people
· The president of the Minneapolis City Council quickly called
for better psychological testing of police officers.
· Research shows that some psychological tests can detect
which officers are mentally equipped for the responsibility of
making life-and-death decisions.
· Minneapolis is now poised to replace Gratzer -- Gratzer
screened out a larger percentage of minority applicants, which
alarmed them.
· Ironically Gratzer, who did not respond to four interview
requests, came into the job after the city fired two of his
predecessors over concerns they rejected too many minority
candidates.
Gilbert, C. (2022, January 7). Minneapolis police recruits get
less psychological testing than they used to. Minimizing Mental
Fitness | APM Reports. Retrieved April 1, 2022, from
https://www.apmreports.org/story/2017/12/14/minneapolis-
police-recruits-psychological-testing
(Gilbert, 2022)
· With only one test, Mike Roberts, a psychologist in the San
Francisco Bay Area said, there's risk the screening could miss
characteristics that would indicate that an officer shouldn't
carry a badge and gun.
· For the past five years, Minneapolis has administered only one
test, the MMPI-II-RF, which is focused on the applicant's
mental stability. The city hasn't included any formal testing of
whether candidates are psychologically suitable.

6. · "Abnormal range" personality tests like the MMPI-II-RF,
focus on traits that border on pathological, including anxiety,
hostility and rebelliousness. By contrast, "normal range" tests,
such as the California Personality Inventory, are designed to
measure positive traits such as sociability, conscientiousness
and integrity.
· Recent research shows that using both tests together is more
effective at identifying problem officers than using either test in
isolation. APM Reports surveyed seven cities similar to
Minneapolis, including St. Paul, Seattle, Miami and Denver.
Minneapolis was the only city relying on a single test.
· Up until 2012, Minneapolis put applicants through as many as
five tests.
· A 2004 study, funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, found
that Minneapolis officers who were flagged as a concern during
their psychological assessments were three times more likely to
engage in misconduct on the force
· In Minneapolis, candidates must pass a series of interviews,
physical agility challenges and a background check before that
happens, but no formal assessments of their personality,
character or intelligence.
· Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, police departments
can only require candidates to undergo a full psychological
evaluation after giving them a conditional job offer.
Gilbert, C. (2022, January 7). Minneapolis police recruits get
less psychological testing than they used to. Minimizing Mental
Fitness | APM Reports. Retrieved April 1, 2022, from
https://www.apmreports.org/story/2017/12/14/minneapolis-

7. police-recruits-psychological-testing
(Gilbert, 2022)