The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) provides investigative and specialized law enforcement services to prevent and solve crimes in partnership with law enforcement, public safety and criminal justice agencies. Services include criminal justice training and development, forensic laboratory analysis, criminal histories and investigations.

Read the BCA's Strategic Plan.

Related Minnesota Statutes

Minnesota statute 299C.01 placed the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension under the direction of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety in 1969. Dozens of other state statutes, state rules, and federal laws govern BCA operations in a variety of areas including criminal histories, lab operations, investigations and more. Links to those statutes and rules can be found in the related sections of this website.

Drew Evans was named the Superintendent of the BCA in 2015. Prior to this role, Evans worked for the BCA Investigations Division: Homicide Unit as a special agent and senior special agent where he conducted and oversaw violent crime investigations throughout Minnesota. He most recently served as the BCA Assistant Superintendent since 2012. Evans also served as a police officer for the city of White Bear Lake where he held a variety of roles, last as a detective, prior to joining the BCA.

Evans is a graduate of Metropolitan State University and received his Juris Doctor from William Mitchell College of Law. He is an alumnus of the FBI National Academy, has completed the IACP Leadership in Police Organizations program, and is a graduate of the BCA Management Series. 

Evans serves on the Minnesota POST Board, the Violent Crime Coordinating Council, the U.S. Attorney's Project Safe Neighborhoods Steering Committee, the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) - Police Investigative Operations Committee, the Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies (ASCIA) - Use of Force Investigations Committee, and is vice-chair of the North Central High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA).

Learn more about BCA leadership.

Staff

The BCA employs more than 300 agents, analysts, scientists, trainers and support staff at its headquarters and lab in St. Paul, its Bemidji regional office and lab, and 11 field offices. 

The Minnesota legislature created the BCA in 1927 to assist peace officers statewide in solving crimes and apprehending criminals. The division of statistics, a forerunner of the Minnesota Justice Information Services (MNJIS), was added in 1935, as were additional personnel and full police power for the bureau's agents.

The BCA lab became operational in 1947, and the BCA became a part of the newly-created Department of Public Safety in 1969. The BCA established one of the first DNA laboratories in the nation in 1990, and shortly afterward became the first in the nation to identify a suspect based solely on DNA. Read more about the BCA's history. 

Partnerships

The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension partners with state and local criminal justice agencies on investigations, Amber Alerts, Crime Alerts and criminal justice data integration. Efforts to improve public safety are also furthered through relationships with federal programs like the FBI, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, the DARE Program and more.