What alternative would you suggest?

The alternatives implied by my post:

• screen out aggressive, suspicious, sociopathic candidates
• discontinue the preference for recent combat vets
• stop screening out higher-intelligence candidates
• stop militarizing the police forces
• the citizenry, if they care, should agitate for a different policing style

I didn’t mention it, but I also think that regular screening for steroids and similar might help rein in the most aggressive LEOs.

If they cannot hold them to a higher standard in fear of them lying about it

A normal standard would be an improvement; once they get there maybe we reevaluate holding them to a higher standard – I’m open to that discussion.

If we just say it’ll be a slow process, and we have to change how we hire, how will that actually be put into practice?

We start to hire differently, and the force changes over time.

the attempts by the public to hold them to a higher standard IS the citizenry demanding a better PD.

I disagree. If the basketball team can’t jump 3ft vertically then moving the standard to 6ft isn’t going to make them jump any higher or improve their playing. It’s reform theater. wishful thinking.

While I have described a gradualist approach in response to your question, IMO the radical/sudden approach would be to do away with QI. Cops might be less willing to murder the citizenry if it actually blew back on them a little. The overwhelming bulk of all judgements against cops in the US are paid by the municipality. Not a great incentive for the officer to behave better.

Same for prosecutors, who have and even more egregious form of immunity. Don’t get me started…