MN POST Board bans extremist views in new guidelines

POST Board chair Kelly McCarthy explains new officer guidelines at the initial draft vote on Dec. 9, 2022 (Elijah Todd-Walden/BLCK Press)

The Minnesota Peace Officers Standards and Training board voted unanimously to ban people who belong to or support extremist groups from becoming officers.

The Board said it is updating its guidelines to become more in line with modern expectations of law enforcement.

In addition to banning people with extremist ideologies from obtaining a license, the Board also approved a list of other standards. Those include allowing someone with a petty theft or small pot conviction to obtain a law enforcement license, allowing the board to dismiss an officer for bad conduct without a conviction, requiring officers to report bad conduct when they witness it, and removing the requirement for U.S. citizenship to become an officer.

The new guidelines provide an exemption for religious beliefs, and define “extremist” as a set of actions or ideals.