ST. PAUL – The Minnesota State Patrol is fully equipped with body-worn cameras as of May 5, 2022. The state-wide rollout of the Body Camera Project began Dec. 1, 2021, and was completed on-time and within the projected budget.
"Although we’d like to think every state trooper is perfect, we are human beings just like everyone else. Capturing interactions on body-worn cameras will help hold everyone accountable because they provide a record of what actually occurred between the trooper and the member of the public," said Col. Matt Langer, chief of the Minnesota State Patrol.
During the project, the Minnesota State Patrol installed 644 in-car camera systems and issued body-worn cameras to 613 sworn members of the patrol and 92 non-sworn members. Body-worn cameras have also been issued to commercial vehicle inspectors and capitol security officers. In total, it issued 705 body cameras and 1,349 camera systems over the last five months.
Since the start of the project, the agency has captured more than 281,680 pieces of video evidence, which equates to 116,007.22 GB of data or 60,631.44 hours of video. In the last month, troopers captured 96,380 pieces of video evidence for a total of 19,840.93 hours of video and 37,936.32 GB of data.
Troopers are projected to record an average of 3,212.66 pieces of video evidence – 616.36 hours -- per day across the state now that the project is complete.
About the Minnesota Department of Public Safety
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) comprises 11 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.
About the Minnesota State Patrol
Nearly 600 Minnesota State Patrol troopers are the foundation of the agency that works to provide a safe environment on Minnesota’s roads by assisting motorists, taking enforcement action and educating drivers about traffic safety issues. In addition to road safety activities, troopers conduct flight patrols, search and rescue missions and assist other law enforcement agencies.
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