We're All Going Hands-Free Together

​If it seems like everybody’s talking about the new hands-free law, that’s because they are. The law went into effect Aug. 1.

People and organizations all over Minnesota have been working tirelessly to get the word out, including the media, law enforcement agencies, high schools and universities, community councils, and private businesses, just to name a few.

Learn what the new law entails and how you and your loved ones can go hands-free in our recent blog and at HandsFreeMN.org.

Fire Investigations: More Than Just Ashes

What images come to mind when you think of fire investigations? Perhaps an investigator in sooty turnout gear, sifting through piles of ash in the smoking aftermath of a fire? Finding a piece of evidence that has burned beyond recognition and is now the size of a grain of sand? Using it to figure out what happened in this burnt-out husk of a building that was once someone’s livelihood or home?

You’re right: Fire investigators do all those things. But there’s more to it than that. Learn about all the aspects of fire investigation – and how it benefits all of us – in our latest blog.

Governor Walz Announces New Vendor to Replace State's Vehicle Title and Registration Computer System

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety ​Driver and Vehicle Services division signed a contract with Fast Enterprises to provide a software solution that will replace Minnesota's Vehicle Licensing and Registration System (MNLARS). Fast Enterprises was the only responder to a proposals request issued in June.

The cost to replace the new system will be $33.854 million, roughly $2 million less than anticipated. The five-year contract requires the company to "implement, configure and integrate its FastVS software" to replace MNLARS. Fast Enterprises has successfully implemented their software for vehicle title and registration programs in 11 states. The company developed and built Minnesota's driver's license system that successfully launched in October 2018, a system capable of issuing REAL ID-compliant cards.