This article speaks about the considerations being proposed in Wisconsin for stricter police officer standards in Wisconsin after the recent shooting in Crandon, Wisconsin by an off-duty law enforcement officer.
As the article states, it is unfortunate that such an event must take place before change happens. The real issue is the challenge for smaller communities and counties to place the same level of competency in their candidates as do larger agencies. It is a challenge given the costs involved but results such as what happened in Wisconsin are a high price to pay for being cheap on hiring and attracting good police officer candidates: and the issue goes much deeper than simply starting wages.
I would again suggest that a nationally recognized clearinghouse be established that will record the names of all decertified officers. There should be a minimal national standard for hiring, evaluation, education and basic training. There needs to be established standards of ongoing training, use of force reporting and officer assessment and support to help prevent this type of tragedy from happening again.
Communities need to be able to trust that their law enforcement officers are stable and trustworthy.