New Group to Focus on Police-Involved Deadly Force Encounters in Minnesota

​Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Department of Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington are convening a working group on police-involved deadly force encounters. Together they will serve as co-chairs of the 16-member body. The group will provide opportunities for people across the state to have a voice in developing recommendations, which may include policy, procedure, legislation, programming and training. The group will solicit feedback statewide in several ways, including witness testimony, online submissions and public comment.

Find more information and hearing dates on the Commissioner’s Office website.

Hands-Free: Now the Law in Minnesota

Governor Tim Walz signed a new hands-free cell phone bill into law April 12 to help further reduce distractions behind the wheel.

Starting Aug. 1, drivers will no longer be able to hold their cell phones in their hands. They will be able to use their phones to make calls, text, listen to music or podcasts and get directions, but only by voice commands or single touch activation without holding the phone.

Remember, hands-free is not necessarily distraction-free. We want Minnesotans to stay safe, stay alive and stay out of trouble under the new law.

Visit the HandsFreeMN website for more information.

For Boy Scouts and Severe Weather, the Motto is 'Be Prepared.'

Camping season here in Minnesota is wonderful, but it happens to overlap with tornado season. So what do you do when the wind picks up, the sky turns green, and it sounds like a freight train is coming? What if the nearest tornado shelter is 20 miles away?

That used to be the case for Camp Wilderness Boy Scout Camp, but they unveiled a solution last week: two safe rooms built to protect up to 700 people from EF-3 tornadoes and winds up to 165 mph.

Learn more about the camp and how its campers can stay safe in our latest blog.