♪♪ >> CATHY: WE'VE GOT A FULL SHOW FOR YOU THIS EVENING.

WE'LL TAKE A LOOK AT THE DRIVER'S LICENSES FOR ALL BILL MAKING ITS WAY THROUGH THE LEGISLATURE.

WE'LL TALK WITH HISTORIANS ABOUT POLICING IN MINNEAPOLIS.

OUR POLITICAL PANEL IS HERE, TOO.

>> ERIC: BUT WE START THE HOUR WITH NEWS ON POLICING.

YESTERDAY, THE BOARD OF PEACE OFFICER STANDARDS AND TRAINING, KNOWN AS THE P.O.S.T.

BOARD, VOTED UNANIMOUSLY TO EXCLUDE EXTREMIST GROUP MEMBERS FROM POLICING IN MINNESOTA.

IT COMES ON THE TAILS OF OTHER NEW RULES FOR POLICE OFFICERS.

HERE TO TALK MORE ABOUT THE CHANGES, P.OS.T.

BOARD CHAIR KELLY MCCARTHY, WHO ALSO SERVES AS POLICE CHIEF IN MENDOTA HEIGHTS.

CHIEF, HOW DOES A HATE GROUP -- HOW IS A HATE GROUP DEFINED IN THIS RULE?

>> FIRST, THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

WE START OUT WITH THE DEFINITION THAT THE U.S. MILITARY HAS HAD TO INSTITUTE.

THIS IS NOT A PROBLEM THAT IS JUST IN LAW ENFORCEMENT, IT'S ANY INDUSTRY IN WHICH PUBLIC TRESS IS PARAMOUNT.

SO WE STARTED THE -- WITH THE DEFINITION THAT THE U.S. MILITARY USES, AND THEN WE HAVE A VERY DIVERSE GROUP, AN ADVISORY PANEL THAT REALLY WHITTLED AWAY AND MADE SURE THAT THE DEFINITION THAT WE ARE USING IS WHAT THE PUBLIC THINKS OF WHEN THEY THINK OF HATE GROUPS OR EXTREMIST GROUPS, AND SO IT'S THOSE GROUPS THAT AT THEIR CORE, THEIR PURPOSE IS TO DENY PEOPLE RIGHTS BASED ON THOSE IMMUTABLE CHARACTERISTICS THAT ARE PROTECTED BY THE U.S. CONSTITUTION.

>> Cathy: SO I'M WONDERING ABOUT ARE THERE FREEDOM OF SPEECH ISSUES INVOLVED WITH THIS?

SO -- NO.

SO -- IT'S A LITTLE DISAPPOINTING THAT THIS AS GOTTEN SO MUCH ATTENTION.

EVERY AGENCY HAS A POLICY THAT SAYS THAT OFFICERS CAN'T ENGAGE IN THIS TYPE OF ACTIVITY.

ALL WE'RE DOING IS BRINGING IT UP TO THE STATE LEVEL.

SO YOU OF COURSE HAVE FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION.

HOWEVER, WHEN YOU ARE IN A PUBLIC POSITION, A POSITION THAT HAS THE AUTHORITY TO USE FORCE ON BEHALF OF THE GOVERNMENT, YOU ARE HELD TO HIGHER STANDARD, AND YOU SHOULD BE.

SO YOU CANNOT BE IN AN ORGANIZATION HAT DENIES THOSE BASIC RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS THAT WE'RE ENTRUSTED TO DEFEND AND PROTECT.

>> Eric: CURRENT OFFICERS WHO ARE MEMBERS OF THESE GROUPS HAVE TO QUIT THE GROUP OR QUIT THE FORCE OR -- >> SO WE DON'T KNOW THAT THERE'S ANY MEMBERS THAT ARE IN THESE GROUPS AND I WOULD PRESUME THEIR GENCY HAS DEALT WITH THAT IN THE PAST.

WHAT THIS IS REALLY MEANT TO DO IS SEND THAT CLEAR MESSAGE OF THE TYPE OF PEOPLE THAT WE WANT AND NEED IN LAW ENFORCEMENT, AND THE TYPE OF BEHAVIOR THAT WE REALLY LOOK TO FOSTER AND HOPEFULLY IT SENDS A MESSAGE TO POTENTIAL APPLICANTS WHO WHEN THEY SEE POLICE MISCONDUCT AND THINK, WELL, I I WANT TO GO INTO LAW ENFORCEMENT BUT MAYBE THAT'S NOT THE INDUSTRY FOR ME BUT WHEN THEY HEAR US SAY VERY CLEARLY, THAT WHEN THE OLICE ARE DOING OUR JOB WELL, WE'RE FIGHTING FOR JUSTICE.

RACISM IS AN INJUSTICE, IT IS OKAY TO BE ANTI-RACIST ND BE A POLICE OFFICER.

AND HOPEFULLY THAT BRINGS THIS SOME MORE PEOPLE TO OUR RANKS.

>> Cathy: ACTUALLY, HERE IS A LOT -- THERE'S THIS RULE THAT WAS PASSED.

YOU HAVE A BUNCH OF OTHER THINGS THAT WERE PASSED.

HE HAVE DOESN'TLY THE BOARD NO LONGER HAS TO WAIT FOR A CRIMINAL CONVICTION TO INVESTIGATE AN FFICER WHO HAS BAD CONDUCT, WHICH I WAS KIND OF SURPRISING YOU HAD TO WAIT TO THIS POINT TO INVESTIGATE.

>> YEAH, SO WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THAT, THAT THIS IS VERY TRANSFORMATIVE FOR MINNESOTA POLICING.

HOWEVER, IT FEELS LIKE A NO-BRAINER YEAR' JUST BRINGING UP THE STANDARDS OF THE P.O.S.T.

BOARD TO EVERY OTHER BOARD IN MINNESOTA I WENT BONKERS WHEN I HEARD WE HAD TO WAIT UNTIL SOMEBODY WAS CONVICTED OF A CRIME WHEN THERE IS SO MUCH CONDUCT BETWEEN ARREST AND CONVICTION, OR EVEN JUST AN ALLEGATION, SO NOW THE P.O.S.T.

BOARD WILL BE ABLE TO, IF ACTIONS RISE TO STATE OR PROFESSIONAL LEVELS, WILL BE ABLE TO OPEN AN INVESTIGATION AN GET TO THE BOTTOM OF IT.

>> Eric: THERE IS A SHORTAGE OF CANDIDATES, YOU'RE LOOKING AT STANDARDS.

WHERE'S THE BALANCE THERE BETWEEN MAKING THE STANDARDS ACHIEVABLE BUT NOT HAVING FOLKS THAT AREN'T QUALIFIED MEET THE NEW STANDARDS?

>> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.

SO WE DID NOT LOWER STANDARDS BUT WHAT WE DID IS WE WENT BACK THROUGH THE STANDARDS WITH AN EYE TOWARDS WHAT REALLY MATTERS TO BE A POLICE OFFICER, AND TOWARDS RACIAL EQUITY.

SO ONE OF THE INCONSIST TEST WAS, IF YOU EVER RECEIVED A CITATION FOR USING MARIJUANA, YOU COULD NOT BE A POLICE OFFICER IN MINNESOTA.

BUT IF YOU WERE A POLICE OFFICER AND RECEIVED A SKY STATION FOR USING MARIJUANA, THE P.O.S.T.

BOARD COULDN'T AFFECT YOUR ICENSE.

SO WE WENT AND SAID IS THAT REALLY SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BEAR YOU FROM BEING A POLICE OFFICER IN MINNESOTA AND I DON'T THINK IT SHOULD AND OUR ADVISORY GROUP AND EVERY SINGLE LAWYER AGREED WITH US.

SO WE REMOVED THAT.

SHOPLIFTING IS ANOTHER ONE.

IF YOU'RE 17 AND YOU SHOPLIFTED A PAIR OF EARRINGS FROM 2 PLUS 2, YOU COULD NEVER BE A COP IN MINNESOTA AND THAT SEEMED PRETTY RIDICULOUS.

SO WE REMOVED THATS A BARRIER BUT AGENCIES STILL GET TO DECIDE.

THEY GET TO DECIDE THAT IS BEHAVIOR THAT WE DON'T WANT IN OUR POLICE OFFICERS.

>> Cathy: HOW DIFFICULT WAS THIS ROW TO HOE TO GET THIS PASSED?

>> IT WAS FOUR YEARS IN THE MAKING AND WE'RE NOT DONE.

THIS IS JUST THE FIRST SET OF RULES AND SO BUT IT HAS BEEN FOUR YEARS TO GET THIS TO