1,000 Twin Cities Officers Go Through Protest Training

ST. PAUL (AP) - More than 1,000 officers in the Twin Cities area are training on how best to handle demonstrators in the wake of a fatal shooting of a black man by police in St. Anthony.

Officers are learning more about constitutional rights of protesters, practicing tactics for making arrests when necessary and hearing about what to do if they are attacked verbally or physically.

In the two months since Philando Castile was killed, hundreds of people have gathered in St. Paul for protests, and marches have shut down traffic. Officers are under heightened scrutiny as demonstrators question systemic police practices.

About half of those being trained are from the Saint Paul Police Department, and the rest are from 15 other agencies.