Blog Archive: March 2018
March 29
You’ve spent months scraping your car windows, shoveling your sidewalks, and covering every inch of skin just to go walk the dog – and you’re tired of it. In short, you’re thrilled spring is here (even if the weather hasn’t been cooperating so far). Our State Fire Marshal Division (SFMD) staff were also happy to wave goodbye to this winter because it was one of the deadliest in 10 years. Specifically, from Nov. 1 through March 20, 28 people died in fires in Minnesota. The only winter that had more deaths was 2013-2014, when 33 people died in fires between Nov. 1 and March 20...
March 26
A Minnesota state trooper’s job is surprisingly varied. Sure, you’d expect them to patrol the highways enforcing traffic laws and to help motorists in trouble. But saving people from drug overdoses might not have occurred to you. Opioid abuse is becoming more and more widespread, and the State Patrol has had their eye on the issue. In Minnesota alone, drug overdose deaths increased 17.9 percent from 2015 to 2016, and those who use opioids have a lot to choose from: heroin, morphine, oxycodone...
March 22
Let’s see: dress chosen. Tux rented. Tickets bought, dinner reservation made and corsage and boutonniere ordered. Your teen is all ready for prom, right? Not quite. There’s one more box to check: sitting down with them and having a talk about their plans for staying safe. Teen drivers ages 15-19 are overrepresented in traffic crashes, especially those that involve serious injury and death. Specifically, they’re the second leading killer of 16- and 17-year-olds in Minnesota...
March 19
“I need to get out of here.” If you’ve said that to yourself while looking around your workplace recently, it may be time for a change. What would you say to driving Minnesota’s beautiful roads and helping keep its citizens safe? If that sounds good, consider applying for the Minnesota State Patrol’s Law Enforcement Training Opportunity (LETO) Program. Applications will be accepted from March 26 until April 20 this year. The minimum qualifications include at least a two-year college degree in any discipline, being at least 21 years old, being a U.S. citizen...
March 15
Is your teen finally ready to get their driver’s license? Congratulations! No more parent taxi! And hey, with spring break coming up, it’s the perfect time to head down to Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS) so that your teen can take their knowledge and road test. Keep in mind, though, that many other parents and teens (not to mention people with March and April birthdays) are having this same idea – which could make the lines longer and the road test appointments harder to come by. Not to worry: With a little advance planning and preparation, your teen can be well on their way...
March 12
There’s really no way to sugar-coat it: Roadside interactions with law enforcement aren’t always fun. Maybe you ran out of gas and need help, or maybe you’ve been pulled over. Whatever the situation, you likely feel several emotions. So imagine how that interaction would go if you couldn’t hear. Not only would you be upset about what was wrong with your car or why you were pulled over, but you’d have the added stress of struggling to understand what the law enforcement officer was saying to you and vice versa. That’s what prompted the creation of a two-way communication card...
March 8
A few years ago, when someone would say “illicit drug,” the first word to pop into your mind was probably “meth.” But lately, we’ve been hearing so much about record amounts of marijuana being seized on Minnesota’s roads and the alarming number of deaths from opioids and heroin that methamphetamines seem to have taken a backseat. Enter Minnesota’s violent crime enforcement teams (VCETs). VCETs are multijurisdictional task forces that investigate narcotics, gangs and violent crime, and they’re partially funded by the Office of Justice Programs...
March 6
Sometimes when you meet a member of the Minnesota State Patrol, it’s under…less than happy circumstances. Maybe a trooper stops to help you change a tire or get you out of a snow bank. Maybe they pull you over for a broken tail light or exceeding the speed limit (well…not you. But some people). Wouldn’t it be great to meet a trooper just for fun? If you go to the Twin Cities Auto Show that starts this weekend (March 10-18) at the Minneapolis Convention Center, you can do just that. The State Patrol will have a booth just east of the Ride and Drive section...
March 1
On a sunny day in 1995, 4-year-old Nicholas Burt excitedly tells the camera how he’s going to help his dad: “I’m gonna climb up the ladder with him and then I’m gonna climb one of his ropes!” His brother, 16-month old Zachary, toddles across the grass toward the camera, giggling. One wonders, watching these two little boys, if they’ll always be this happy. What will they be when they grow up? Will they have families of their own? Will they stay in Minnesota, or move away?
