11-26-1984 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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FUND TO RECEIVE DOUBLE DISABILITY PAYMENTS WHICH EXCEED THE NORMAL AFTER TAX WORKING INCOME. FURTHER, THE LEGISLATURE SHOULD CLARIFY AND ESTABLISH STANDARDS SIMILAR TO PERA FOR DETERMINING DISABILITY. II-L POLICE OFFICER ELIGIBILITY AND RECRUITMENT During the 1978 legislative session the :.egislature adopted a uniform state licensing recruitment for police officers which is unparalleled in any other area of the United States. The requirements enforced by the Minnesota Peace Officer Standards & Training Board (MPOST) stipulate mandatory minimum standards for recruitment, training and conduct of police officers which significantly infringe on the prerogatives of local government. In conjunction with establishing the POST Board and rules and regulations, the legislature also eliminated the former BCA schooling and training program for entry level police officers. The POST rules and regulatons became effective July 1, 1979. Under these rules and regulations, any one interested in becoming a police officer must have two years of law enforcement training after which they are given a written examination administered by POST. They are then required to take an eight week skill course. Five institutions are certified as meeting POST requirement for the 2 year training in the metro area; Metro U, Lakewood Community College, Inver Hills Community College, North Hennepin Community College and Normandale Community College. Under the present operation, completion of the skills level requirements can only be accomplished through full time day time attendance. In the two years since POST has been in effect., several problems have arisen The first of those problems deals mainly with the age and maturity of the applicant now being tested for the police officer position by metropolis- jurisdictions. Formerly that applicant was predominately a to late twenty year old applicant, many times possessin( ur year degree, however, not necessarily related to the law iwt.wLteement area. Many applicants were individuals interested In'& eamplete career change and often times older and of more mature character. The two year law enforcement degree requirement has now shifted that applicant to a much younger age group. Applicants who have entered the law enforcement program right; out of high school generally, compared to the previous applicant pool, demonstrate a lack of maturity and people contact experience. In many instances this applicants' intere3t in police work is based on misrepresented ideas of what police work is really like. The second major problem with the present POST regulations is the full time eight week;; skill course process. This process makes it extremely difficult for an individual interested in a career change, while at the same time beinE; required to work to support a family, to take the time of;' n,,,-f :.:-.ary to complete the skills