ST. PAUL — The Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) assisted with 99 crime scene investigations, 921 fire investigations and helped Minnesotans recover from three federal natural disasters that caused nearly $50 million in damages. Those are just a few of DPS' accomplishments in 2022.
“Our staff proved they are always on the job somewhere, 24 hours a day, in every part of the state," said DPS Commissioner Bob Jacobson. “The people of Minnesota can thrive only when they feel safe in their communities. We are proud of the work we did last year and are dedicated in 2023 to continuing to keep people safe and improve the lives of those who live, work and play here."
In cooperation with community and governmental partners all over Minnesota, DPS staff promote prevention, preparation, response, recovery, public education and enforcement.
“We strive to provide timely, accurate and compassionate service to all Minnesotans," Jacobson said. “Not only on a person's worst day or during an emergency, but when people are making important decisions like buying a smoke alarm or celebrating milestones like getting a driver's license, which are equally important."
DPS has broken down its services in 2022 by the numbers to show Minnesotans what the more than 2,100 employees are doing to serve the state's nearly six million residents.
Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division
DPS' Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement (AGED) division has regulatory authority for the issuance of alcohol licenses and permits, gaming device licenses and legalized gambling. In 2022, AGED:
- Added its first K-9, Bia. Bia is the only currency detection K-9 in Minnesota and has proved to be a useful addition to AGED's investigative toolbox. Bia is utilized during the execution of search warrants and her work allows special agents to efficiently and neatly locate currency associated with criminal activity.
- Pursuant to the Tribal State Gaming compacts, visited 20 tribal casinos and completed 480 slot machine and 60 blackjack inspections.
- Completed 170 investigations into charitable gambling theft and fraud, horse wagering violations, Minnesota card club violations, lottery theft and fraud, illegal gambling operations and illegal liquor operations.
- Certified 176 trainers with the Responsible Beverage Service Train the Trainer program. These trainers are certified to deliver the program across 56 of Minnesota's 87 counties. They have directly affected thousands of individuals in the alcoholic beverage selling and service industry and indirectly impacted all those served by those sellers and servers.
Bureau of Criminal Apprehension
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.
Here is a portion of what the BCA accomplished last year:
Investigations
- Total cases opened: 2,449
- Illicit narcotics recovered in partnership with other agencies or task forces:
- Methamphetamine: 467.3 pounds
- Cocaine/Crack: 64.7 kg
- Heroin/Opiates: 158,188 pills and 49 kg
- Firearms recovered in partnership with other agencies or task forces: 482
Forensic Science Services
- Cases submitted to the BCA for forensic testing: 19,551
- Entries into the BCA's National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN) terminal: 3,203 (crime scene cartridge cases and gun test fires)
- Incidents requiring crime scene team response: 99 (several with multiple locations or vehicles)
- Investigations aided by DNA database hits: 1,357
Minnesota Justice Information Services
- Civil background checks completed: 439,932
- Criminal fingerprints submitted to the BCA: 209,986
Department of Public Safety
DPS and other state agencies launched the Make Minnesota Safe and Secure campaign in August at the Minnesota State Fair by giving away free gun locks.
- DPS staff distributed more than 10,000 locks at the fair and an additional 25,000 since then.
- The goal of the campaign is to ensure every gun owner in Minnesota has a gun lock to help store firearms in a safe and secure manner to reduce suicides, theft, injuries and crimes committed with guns.
- Sign up for up to three free gun locks at SafeAndSecureMN.org.
Driver and Vehicle Services
Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS) handles government identification cards, driver's licenses and vehicle registration for all Minnesotans. In 2022, DVS served more than 10 million customers, collected over $2 billion and processed thousands of transactions.
In 2022, DVS:
- Processed 5,462 same-day driver's licenses and IDs since Oct. 3 at locations in Moorhead and Lakeville.
- Administered 175,893 road tests and 389,022 written tests.
- Processed 437,763 driver's license or ID applications.
- Processed approximately 1.5 million vehicle titles and 5,498,165 vehicle registrations.
- Registered 226,134 Electronic vehicles (up 92 percent from 2021).
- Issued 1,207,959 disability placards.
- Reopened all 93 exam stations, a majority of which were closed during the 2020 COVID-19 state of emergency.
- Began accepting credit card payments at all exam stations.
Emergency Communication Networks
The Emergency Communication Networks Division oversees the Statewide 911 Program, Allied Radio Matrix for Emergency Response (ARMER) radio communications network, the Interoperability Program, Integrated Public Alert and Warning Systems (IPAWS), and a statewide Wireless Broadband initiative in coordination with FirstNet.
- The statewide 911 call volume from January through November 2022 was 2,601,978. That is consistent with last year's 2.9 million total.
- In 2022, residents and visitors to Minnesota were alerted us to some type of danger in the state 272 times using the IPAWS program. This includes wireless emergency alerts (WEAs) and emergency alert system (EAS) messages.
- 50 alerts sent by public safety agencies.
- 141 alerts were weather-related alerts sent by the National Weather Service.
- 91 of the 272 alerts were state/local tests that were not received by the public unless they opted in to receive them.
Homeland Security and Emergency Management
DPS' Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) division helps communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies and disasters. In 2022, HSEM:
- Responded to three Presidential Disaster Declarations totaling about $50 million in damages.
- Responded to 12 State Disaster Declarations for about $12.3 million in damages.
- Initiated 106 instructor-led training courses equaling 1,011 hours.
- Issued 69 Basic Emergency Management training certificates.
- Issued 41 Director/Practitioner training certificates.
- Conducted seven training workshops, two functional exercises and five tabletop trainings.
Office of Justice Programs
The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) provides leadership and resources to reduce crime, improve the functioning of the criminal justice system and assist crime victims. In 2022, OJP:
- Assisted families and advocates with numerous Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives (MMIR) cases in Minnesota and South Dakota. The Minnesota MMIR Office made referrals to the appropriate law enforcement agencies and assisted with referrals to tribal, local, county and state victim services.
- Managed 619 grants in six different crime victim services grant programs and 15 different justice and community grant programs totaling over $100 million dollars. These grants covered services and shelter programs for domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse and other crime victim services. The grants also funded as sex trafficking investigative task forces, violent crime enforcement teams, youth intervention programs, crime prevention and intervention, juvenile justice and delinquency prevention, training and investigations.
- Worked with more than 1,000 victims, criminal justice professionals, and members of the public, and opened 16 formal cases through the Minnesota Crime Victim Justice Unit.
- Received nearly 2,000 new crime victim reparations claims and coordinated payment of over $3.2 million for medical dental care, mental health counseling, funeral and burial expenses, lost wages, and survivor benefits through the Minnesota Crime Victim Reparations program.
Office of Pipeline Safety
Minnesota Office of Pipeline Safety (MNOPS) officials inspect natural gas, propane and hazardous liquid pipelines, and investigates leaks and accidents.
In 2022:
- MNOPS staff spent more than 1,100 hours doing inspections across the state.
- MNOPS received a 99 percent cumulative score on the annual natural gas, hazardous liquid, and underground natural gas storage progress report and program evaluations conducted by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).
- MNOPS sent out 434 inspection result letters, case-closing letters and enforcement letters.
Office of Traffic Safety
The Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) designs and implements public education and traffic-law enforcement programs with the goal of reducing crashes, deaths and injuries on Minnesota roads by improving driver behavior.
Last year saw progress in reducing fatal crashes. Preliminary numbers show traffic fatalities were down nearly 10 percent across the state over 2021, but there is still more work to be done.
Extra Enforcement Campaigns
OTS coordinates statewide enforcement, education and awareness campaigns throughout the year with funding provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The campaigns include extra enforcement and focus on changing deadly driving behaviors involving speeding, no seat belts or proper child restraint use, impaired driving and distraction.
In 2022, campaign results included:
- Distracted driving campaign in April: During the statewide campaign, 2,843 drivers were cited for hands-free cell phone law violations from April 1-30.
- Click It or Ticket seat belts and child restraints campaign in May and June: Officers, deputies and troopers reported 1,798 seat belt citations and 69 child restraint citations during the two-week seat belt campaign.
- Speed campaign in July: Law enforcement agencies from across the state cited 18,983 drivers for speed violations July 1-31.
- DWI campaign in August and September: During the campaign from Aug. 19 through Sept. 5, officers, deputies and troopers arrested 1,265 drivers for driving impaired.
- Click It or Ticket seat belts and child restraints campaign in September: During the one-week seat belt campaign, officers, deputies and troopers reported 1,164 seat belt citations and 27 child seat citations.
School Bus Stop Arm Camera Grant Project
OTS partnered with the Minnesota State Patrol and local police and sheriff departments across the state for stop arm camera grants to schools and transportation companies. Education and awareness will help drivers make the safe decision to obey the law and stop for buses with flashing lights and stop arms extended. The cameras will also help schools and law enforcement find the violators and hold them accountable.
OTS announced more than $10 million in grants to schools and transportation companies statewide in 2022. More grants will be announced in 2023.
Ignition Interlock Program
The Ignition Interlock Device Program enrollment was at 13,868 at the end of the year, up from 12,019 in 2021. More than 45,000 participants have successfully completed the program since 2011.
Minnesota Motorcycle Safety Center
The Minnesota Motorcycle Safety Program (MMSP) aims to prevent motorcycle crashes and the resulting fatalities and injuries by providing high-quality rider education, training and licensing. In 2022, the MMSP served 3,851 motorcyclists.
- The Basic Rider Course offered 304 courses and trained 3,424 students with a success rate (endorsement waiver) of over 90 percent.
- The Intermediate Program trained 294 students and the Advanced/Expert Program had 133 attendees.
State Patrol
The State Patrol provides for safe and efficient movement of traffic on Minnesota's roads and highways; assists motorists at crashes; partners with allied city and county agencies; and inspects school buses and commercial vehicles.
In 2022, troopers:
- Responded to 25,458 crashes.
- Wrote 1,151 citations for speeds more than 100 mph.
- Made 5,603 DWI arrests.
HEAT Enforcement
The State Patrol first began the HEAT (Highway Enforcement for Aggressive Traffic) speed reduction program in February to focus on traffic safety while providing an increased law enforcement presence in Minneapolis. In March, HEAT was expanded across the state and eventually extended through the end of the year.
Numbers since Feb. 14:
- Greater Minnesota
- Stops: 20,290
- Arrests: 121
Street Racing Enforcement
Extra street racing enforcement was restarted in the spring across the Twin Cities Metro Area to include State Patrol helicopters and airplanes.
Numbers since April 15:
- Total stops: 1,995
- Speed citations and warnings: 804
- Arrests: 167
- DWI arrests: 66
Project 20(22)
In the spring of 2022, the State Patrol launched Project 20(22) to stop the most dangerous driving behaviors: speed, lack of seat belt use, distraction and impairment. Troopers worked in teams over designated weekends to target specific areas of the state.
- Total stops: 3,743
- Speed citations and warnings: 2,773
- Arrests: 99
- DWI arrests: 61
State Fire Marshal
The State Fire Marshal Division (SFMD) supports local fire and law enforcement authorities, other agencies and the general public with fire prevention efforts, arson investigations and inspections.
SFMD investigators helped local fire departments across Minnesota with 921 fire investigations in 2022.
SFMD staff also assisted in the completion of:
- 572 school inspections
- 625 health care facility inspections
- 336 adult foster care/community residential setting inspections
- 128 correctional facility inspections
- 663 hotel/motel inspections
The Fire Service Specialist Team worked with Minnesota fire officials more than 600 times to assist them with issues ranging from fire department consolidation to fire reporting. They also completed Fire Chief Boot Camp for new and upcoming leaders in the Minnesota fire service. They trained 82 officers from 52 fire departments.
Minnesota Board of Firefighter Training and Education (MBFTE)
- MBFTE distributed more than $1.8 million in training reimbursements to 610 fire departments.
- MBFTE issued or renewed 220 licenses to Minnesota firefighters.
For more information
These numbers show just a fraction of what DPS does each year to serve Minnesotans. Follow DPS divisions on social media to keep up-to-date on breaking public safety news and learn how you can help DPS create a safer Minnesota.
About the Department of Public Safety
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) comprises 10 divisions where 2,100 employees operate programs in the areas of law enforcement, crime victim assistance, traffic safety, alcohol and gambling, emergency communications, fire safety, pipeline safety, driver licensing, vehicle registration and emergency management. DPS activity is anchored by three core principles: education, enforcement and prevention.
