The Minnesota State Patrol is the primary state patrol agency for Minnesota and serves as the de facto state police for the state. While Minnesota State Patrol troopers have full powers of arrest throughout the state, their primary function is traffic safety and vehicle law enforcement. The State Patrol is a division of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.[5]
The Minnesota Highway Patrol was created in 1929 when Charles M. Babcock, the Commissioner of Highways, appointed Earle Brown, Sheriff of Hennepin County, as Chief of the Highway Patrol. On July 1, 1929, Chief Brown appointed 8 officers. In 1973 the Highway Patrol was reorganized and the official name was changed to the Minnesota State Patrol.[6]
Trooper on a traffic stop. Squad has graphics used from 1991-2007.
The first training school was held January 18 to April 1, 1930. This school graduated the first 35 members of the Minnesota Highway Patrol. [7]
The mission of the Minnesota State Patrol is "to protect and serve all people in the state through assistance, education, and enforcement; provide support to allied agencies; and provide for the safe, efficient movement of traffic on Minnesota's roadways." The Minnesota State Patrol strives to achieve their mission while following their "core values" of respect, integrity, courage, honor, and excellence. These core values are taught to new cadets on the first day of the academy and are stressed throughout employment.[8]
The patch
The progression of the patch from the mid-1950s to the most recent version implemented in 2025.
The previous patch worn by members of the Minnesota State Patrol evolved from "The Great Seal" which was placed on all official state documents. In August 2024, the State Patrol announced an updated logo design for their patches and badges. This was due to the State of Minnesota replacing their state seal and state flag in May of 2024. Instead of using the new state seal featuring the Common Loon (the state bird), the State Patrol designed their own center seal and kept the rest of their previously used designs largely the same.
The new State Patrol seal consists of the Mississippi River, seven Norway Pines (the state tree) to represent troopers working seven days a week, a four-point North Star (also on the new state seal), and a banner which reads "Since 1929" across the top acknowledging the birth year of the agency. The State Patrol began updating logos and license plates on squad cars first, and then troopers began wearing the new patches and badges in April 2025. The State Patrol's chief, Colonel Christina Bogojevic, estimated there were 188,000 agency items that needed to be switched over to the new logo. The cost of this changeover was estimated to be approximately $4,000,000.[9]
Notable incidents
According to Bellingcat the Minnesota State Patrol was among the police departments which deliberately targeted journalists during the George Floyd protests.[10] In late May 2020, the Minnesota State Patrol was involved in policing the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis–Saint Paul. The State Patrol slashed tires of at least several dozen unoccupied vehicles parked near protests, admitting their involvement around a week later. Several journalists' cars, including from the Star Tribune, had their tires slashed. The Patrol said that the tactic was not a usual one, but they implemented it to prevent vehicles from being used as weapons.[11][12]
Duties
While the State Patrol concentrates primarily on traffic enforcement, impaired driving investigations, crash response, and other highway safety duties, it also has a statewide law enforcement role. Troopers will often respond to requests for assistance from local city and county law enforcement agencies during higher risk situations or when those agencies do not have adequate staffing to respond to a particular situation. Troopers are also involved with crash reconstruction, vehicle crimes investigations, and commercial vehicle enforcement. The State Patrol capitol security division also handles the security for the Minnesota State Capitol complex and the Governor. This includes a combination of state troopers and non-sworn capitol security officers.
A Minnesota State Patrol squad on a crash scene in March 2025
Additionally, the State Patrol maintains a K-9 unit that focuses on drug enforcement interdiction, a mobile response team (MRT) used for crowd control situations or extra security for public events, as well as a Special Response Team (SRT), that operates like a traditional SWAT Team.[13] Troopers are issued the Glock 17 Gen 5 9mm sidearm equipped with a Streamlight TLR-7 weapon mounted light.
Minnesota State Patrol 2019 Ford Police Interceptor Utility (Explorer)
The Minnesota State Patrol also prides itself on the capabilities of its flight section, which employs 13 state trooper pilots and seven aircraft. They are based out of airports in two different cities, St. Paul and Brainerd.[14] MSP utilizes aircraft (airplanes and helicopters) to assist with various missions. These missions include conducting search and rescue operations, mitigating vehicle pursuits, locating missing people or criminal suspects on foot, participating in traffic enforcement, monitoring public events for safety issues, and conducting emergency blood runs to hospitals. The Minnesota Air Rescue Team (MART) is a combination of State Patrol trooper pilots and St. Paul Fire Department firefighters that respond across Minnesota to conduct helicopter rescues in areas that are difficult to reach by other means.[15] Similarly, MSP's Special Response Team (SRT) has members trained to conduct tactical operations using the helicopters.[16]
MSP Bell 429 HelicopterMSP Bell 407 Helicopter
In June 2025 a new aircraft was introduced to the fleet, a Bell 429 helicopter. This helicopter includes twin engines to allow more flexibility if one goes down, advanced auto-pilot to decrease pilot workload, a side-mounted hoist system to conduct quicker rescues, radios to connect pilots to personnel on the ground, infrared cameras for thermal imaging and video streaming, and a spotlight to illuminate the surrounding area at night.[15] MSP also operates two older Bell 407 helicopters along with two Cirrus S22 fixed-wing airplanes and two Cessna 182 fixed-wing airplanes.[14] These airplanes are equipped with cameras and other equipment to aid in various State Patrol aviation missions. Trooper pilots also utilize night-vision goggles to enhance eye-sight capabilities in the dark and are required to maintain both a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) commercial license and a second class airman's medical certification.[16] The Minnesota State Patrol is the only law enforcement agency in Minnesota or its surrounding states (Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin) that owns and staffs helicopter resources on a full-time basis. The surrounding states only used contracted helicopters on occasion or operate their own fixed-wing airplanes.[15]
Organization
The State Patrol is headquartered in St. Paul. There are 11 Patrol Districts throughout the state, divided into 61 Patrol Stations. The current Chief of the State Patrol is Colonel Christina Bogojevic and the current Assistant Chief of the State Patrol is Lieutenant Colonel Jeremy Geiger.[17] Each district office is led by a captain and is staffed with lieutenants, investigators, and troopers, along with communication and support staff to assist in the patrol's missions.[18] The Headquarters and State Patrol Command Staff are within District 2000, along with the Flight Section, Investigative Services Section, and Training & Development.
Colonel Matt Langer and Governor Tim Walz at the East Metro District Office located in Oakdale, Minnesota
Since 1929, the State Patrol has been commanded by the State Patrol Chief, who has the rank of Colonel. The Colonel reports directly to the Minnesota Commissioner of Public Safety, who is appointed by the governor and serves in the Governor's Cabinet. In 1997, Anne L. Beers was appointed Chief of the State Patrol, as the first woman to hold the rank of Commander of a State Police Agency in U.S.[19] The following is a list of those that have held the title of State Patrol Chief:
Name
Year(s)
Earle Brown
1929–1933
John Arnoldy
1933–1938
Martin Murray
1938–1939
Eldon Row
1939–1945
Earl E. Larimer
1945–1954
Paul R. Martz
1954–1960
Leo M. Smith
1960–1966
John S. Harbinson
1966–1973
James C. Crawford
1973–1979
D. Roger Ledding
1979–1989
Kevin L. Kittridge
1989–1991
Anthony Kozojed
1991–1993
Mike P. Chabries
1993–1997
Anne L. Beers
1997–2005
Steve Mengelkoch
2005
Mark Dunaski
2005–2011
Kevin Daly
2011–2015
Matt Langer
2015–2024
Christina Bogojevic
2024–present
Rank structure
Rank
Insignia
Colonel
Lieutenant Colonel
Major
Captain
Lieutenant
Chief Warrant Officer
Technical Sergeant
Station Sergeant
Trooper
Cadet
Note: Each station within a state patrol district has one station sergeant that oversees station operations, including scheduling. Station sergeant is a rank generally held by the most senior trooper within a station. Technical sergeant is a rank held by troopers assigned to specialty units such as district investigations, crash reconstruction, commercial vehicle enforcement, executive protection, vehicle crimes, or training & development. Chief warrant officer is a rank exclusively held by trooper pilots in the state patrol flight section. The official field supervisors throughout the state patrol are lieutenants.
Fallen troopers
Since the establishment of the Minnesota State Patrol, eight troopers have died while on duty.[20] These troopers' badge numbers were subsequently retired after their passing and have never been re-issued to new academy graduates as a sign of respect for their service and sacrifice.
Rank
Name
Date of Death
Cause of Death
Age
Location
Trooper
William S. Kozlak SP52
04-25-1934
Killed in a motorcycle crash
32
On Minnesota Highway 52 near Osseo, Minnesota
Trooper
Roy C. Lichtenheld SP68
10-03-1934
Killed in a motorcycle crash
30
On Snelling Avenue in St. Paul, Minnesota
Trooper
Ray X.F. Krueger SP30
11-20-1959
Killed in a head-on car crash
47
On Minnesota Highway 210 near Brainerd, Minnesota
Trooper
Glen A. Skalman SP326
12-27-1964
Succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained on 12-17-1964 during a traffic stop
29
On US-61 near Forest Lake, Minnesota
Trooper
Donald Bert Ziesmer SP180
10-15-1973
Shot and killed while sitting in his patrol car on a traffic stop
46
On Minnesota Highway 61 along the north shore of Lake Superior
Trooper
Roger Curtis Williams SP178
02-22-1978
Struck and killed by an out-of-control vehicle while helping a motorist change a flat tire
53
On I-94 near Brandon, Minnesota
Corporal
Timothy Joseph Bowe SP489
06-07-1997
Shot and killed as he and 3 county deputies approached a house where a shooting was reported
36
10 miles east of Cambridge, Minnesota in Chisago County
Corporal
Theodore Joseph "Ted" Foss SP27
08-31-2000
Struck and killed by a tractor trailer while on a traffic stop
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