> Hiring a murder convict as a beat cop sounds unacceptable.

I could go either way on this. Certainly you don't want someone who has control problems as a cop. But, someone who got convicted of gang stuff very young and then got his shit together could be a really effective beat cop. He knows the people and the neighborhood while serving as an example of doing good.

The problem is that a cop has to give legal testimony. And that would get challenged if he has a prior. Perhaps when cops all have to wear video so we don't have to rely on human testimony that will change.

I agree. But the status quo is that it's hard to get any decent job after serving time.