Minneapolis officer received fast-track training

MINNEAPOLIS - Minneapolis made a significant financial investment in Mohamed Noor.

The officer who fatally shot Justine Damond graduated in 2015 from the city's accelerated police cadet program. The seven-month training is a quicker, non-traditional route to policing aimed at helping those who already have a college degree enter law enforcement. The Minneapolis program covers tuition at Hennepin Technical College.

More than a year into the job, Noor, 31, rose from a beat cop's obscurity to international headlines after shooting Damond, a 40-year-old spiritual healer from Australia, after she called 911 to report a possible sexual assault behind her southwest Minneapolis home. When she approached the driver's side window of the squad car, Noor, who was in the passenger seat, fired across his partner in the driver's seat, killing Damond.

Since then the MPD has been dogged by questions about Noor's experience and training. On the night of the shooting, he was paired with officer Matthew Harrity, who had been a cop for about one year.

Some law enforcement professionals say the cadet program and others like it are exactly what policing needs - a way to attract more diverse people with broader life experiences. The average age of the more than two dozen aspiring officers in Noor's cadet class was around 30.

Before heading into law enforcement, Noor worked in commercial and residential property management and managed a hotel.

Former police chief Janee Harteau, who resigned late Friday, stood by Noor's training last week.

'We have a very robust training and hiring process,” Harteau said Thursday. 'This officer completed that training very well, just like every officer. He was very suited to be on the street.”