The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) Investigative Services division provides round-the-clock investigative assistance to criminal justice agencies statewide. BCA agents and analysts and crime scene personnel are positioned at the BCA’s St. Paul headquarters, the Bemidji regional office and 13 field offices (Alexandria, Brainerd, Duluth, Grand Rapids, Mankato, Maplewood, Marshall, Moorhead, Rochester, Roseau, St. Cloud, White Earth and Willmar). 

Specialized investigative services

Specialized investigative services include investigative, analytical and crime scene responses, as well as long term assistance with complex investigations. These are essential services that many agencies cannot support locally. The BCA provides services in the areas of:

• Financial crimes
• Homicides, missing persons and cold cases
• Narcotics investigations
• Predatory crimes
• Violent crime reduction resources

Additional investigative services

The BCA investigations division provides additional investigative services and tools to help facilitate investigations and response.

• Alerts issued by the BCA
• Digital media examinations
• Eyewitness identification procedures
• K-9 resources
• Minnesota Duty Officer program
• Mobile monitor permits
• UAV resources

Minnesota Fusion Center

The BCA is home to the Minnesota Fusion Center, a mechanism through which government, law enforcement, public safety, and private sector partners can share information related to threats to public safety, homeland security, critical infrastructure and key resources within Minnesota.

Conflict investigations: Use-of-deadly-force, sexual assault, conflict of interest

BCA agents in a separate Force Investigations Unit investigate incidents when a peace officer uses deadly force and a person dies or is seriously injured, when a sexual assault is alleged involving a peace officer, and other cases that present a real or perceived conflict of interest for a law enforcement agency. This unit also investigates allegations of sexual assault involving two members of the Minnesota National Guard.

Firearms information

The BCA maintains information about firearms carry, purchase and transfer permits, plus businesses certified to provide firearms instruction and permit reciprocity with other states.

Scrap metal

The BCA is tasked with maintaining certain information about scrap metal dealers, as well as a developing a system for compliance with state requirements.

Unsolved cases

The BCA maintains a searchable and sortable list of unsolved homicides, unidentified remains and missing persons cases – typically from the past 10- to 60-years - that the BCA is working either alone or in partnership with other agencies.