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Brandt Williams
Minneapolis

Minneapolis hires new psych screening provider for police

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The Minneapolis City Council on Friday approved a contract for a new provider of psychological screening services for the police department, in a move the council says brings the department into compliance with state rules.

Under the terms of the proposed contract, the city will pay Aspen Psychological Consulting LLC $540,697.45 over a nearly four-year period. Police administrators say the city will pay $100 less per officer compared to the previous contract.

The contract measure passed 13-0.

In a discussion held earlier this week in committee, council member Linea Palmisano praised the work that went into selecting the provider. She said it appears that Aspen has a firm grasp of police chief's goal to improve police/community relations.

"I see this as a difference than the way that many cities do — more clearinghouse kinds of psych evals and prescreening — but really what I've come to understand, is a really new type of relationship. This augments the chief's understanding of who he selects to hire."

The state's Peace Officer Standards and Training, or POST, board requires anyone who wants to become an officer to be screened by a licensed psychologist. However, an APM Reports investigation found that for the last several years, the city of Minneapolis has used a psychiatrist.

Psychiatrists are trained as medical doctors and can prescribe drugs. Psychologists are trained to use psychotherapy to diagnose and treat emotional or mental conditions.