Minnesota Officers to Undergo "Moral Courage" Training

Officers with the St. Paul (MN) Police Department will now be required to undergo what is being called "Moral Courage Training" intended to enable them to stand up and say something to a colleague when they observe behavior that is outside of policy or procedure.

According to ABC News , Chief Todd Axtell initiated the program with the memory in mind of an incident early in his police career in which he observed his partner doing something he shouldn't have done, but failed at the time to intervene.

"The longer I have gone in my career, the more I wish I had stepped in earlier into that incident," said Axtell.

Chief Axtell said further that the goal of the program is to build commitment and capacity to do what is right, "despite fear or concern about social pressure or peer disapproval from other officers."