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Jan 8, 2010 8:56 pm US/Central
After Robber Cop, Depts. Question Hiring Practices
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) ―
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Timothy Edward Carson, 28, was booked into the Dakota County Jail early Thursday morning on probable cause first-degree aggravated robbery.
Dakota County Jail
A Minneapolis cop who confessed to a string of robberies across the Twin Cities is a former Marine and served in Iraq for two years. The discovery may force police departments across Minnesota to review their hiring practices.
Tim Carson, 28, was confronted Wednesday night after finishing his SWAT shift downtown. Before work prosecutors say he robbed a bank in Apple Valley.
Unless a psychologist sensed something was wrong with Carson when he returned from war, he went through the same amount of testing as any other officer on the force.
As a member of the Minneapolis Police Department for three years, Carson's employment records show he completed all the requirements and he moved up the ranks quickly.
A year after he started he was promoted to the SWAT team. It's a special unit assignment that usually takes an officer three years to get.
Neil Melton is the Executive Director of the Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training. He's in charge of the regulatory agency for Minnesota law enforcement.
Melton believes this case is getting a lot of attention statewide.
"I can guarantee you there is not a police chief or sheriff or state agency that is not reviewing their current hiring protocols," Melton said.
Carson has a law enforcement degree passed a written, physical, and psychological exam. To be on SWAT he had to go through even more tests.
"You need to be able to check the mental stability and critical thinking skills of these people in high risk situations," Melton said.
Now, Melton believes investigators will focus on Carson's family and friends to see if there's something they could have caught before this cop's crime spree.
"If they could identify with 100 percent certainty that this person is prone to do something that would certainly help us. But that's not the case," he added.
Carson does have a sick child, but it is unknown if that was the motive behind these robberies. A judge says he is carrying a considerable amount of debt.
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