Blog Archive: June 2021
June 28
Drones – specifically those with cameras – have been around for quite a few years now. But it's only just recently that law enforcement agencies in Minnesota have begun to use them. Minnesota law requires law enforcement to obtain a search warrant before using a drone, with a few...
June 24
The pandemic changed a lot of things – including some of the things agencies and people do every day. Some of those new procedures seem to be sticking around for good. For example, think about how often you wash and sanitize your hands now, or how it's not surprising to see...
June 21
It’s safe to say a lot of things changed the day George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis. Angry people made their voices heard in the Twin Cities – but some turned to dangerous, destructive behaviors, like setting fires. A total of 164 arsons caused millions (possibly billions) of dollars...
June 17
What would you say if we told you there's something that can remarkably increase your chances of surviving a car crash? Something like a force field that will keep you from being thrown from the vehicle during a collision – something that takes almost no time? If such a thing existed, would you...
June 14
Imagine you're driving down a country road at night when someone in the car with you has a heart attack. You call 911, but you can't tell the dispatcher where you are because you don't know—you can't see a road sign or mile marker or building anywhere. The dispatcher can tell which cell tower your phone is pinging, but those can cover a wide area...
June 10
Bill Shaffer is the director of the Minnesota Motorcycle Safety Center (MMSC) and a dedicated motorcycle enthusiast and rider in his own right. Now that the 2021 motorcycle training season is underway in Minnesota, we sat down with him to learn about the trends and issues he’s seeing with riders lately, and how the many motorcycle training courses...
June 7
It's strange to look at the room in this photo and think about what it looked like before fire destroyed it. You can imagine the picture on the wall was a family photo or a beautiful landscape. You can imagine a family gathered around the TV, laughing at their favorite show together...
June 3
When it's an unconference. For the second year in a row, the Department of Public Safety Office of Justice Programs (DPS-OJP) hosted their annual get-together, free of charge, online (after more than 30 years of gathering in person) in May. Unconference attendees included prosecutors, victim service providers, victim advocates, law enforcement personnel, judges...
