On a mid-November evening in 2024, I sat at my basement desk on a virtual meeting with a mix of excitement and anticipation (and some nervousness, to be honest) as our website rebuild team waited for a last-minute network issue to be resolved. After a short amount of time, we were told the issue had been resolved and everyone on the call began refreshing their web browsers. It was finally here; the new Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) website was live at dps.mn.gov for to the public to start exploring.

Even though this was a moment to celebrate the hard work of more than 150 people who helped shape the site and its content over the previous 14 months, we knew this wasn’t the end of our journey. It was just the end of the first leg. And that’s what was most exciting. It was a starting point from which we would keep going, keep improving the site and meet new needs.

The DPS website, as you see it today, marked its first year of service to you Nov. 14. I’ve spent the past year watching how the site gets used, how it performs and how it has already changed and grown.

Throughout the first year, we saw strong demand for the information and services we offer online as more than 7 million of you visited our site. Maybe you were looking for information about REAL ID or vehicle registration, resources for crime victims, tips for driving safely or grant opportunities to help make Minnesota safer. That’s all part of the content on our pages that were viewed almost 32.9 million times in the first year of our new website.

Of the many goals our team had for the new website, two important ones were making it easier for you to get information and making it easier for us to deliver that information. Over the past year, our content teams put our site’s streamlined publishing system to good use to bring you impactful stories, resources in response to critical incidents and information residents and businesses need to compete their day-to-day tasks.

Read on to learn about some of the highlights as I reflect on the first year of our new website.

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Office (MMIR) highlights open cases

One of the most meaningful additions to the site during its first year was content from the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Office (MMIR) providing information about open cases and reward information. This new content is helping bring attention to these cases and provide opportunities for tips that could help bring resolution and closure.

Additionally, the office has expanded information for impacted families and law enforcement, including a digital intake form that makes the submission process easier for those seeking support and assistance related to a missing or murdered loved one.

Bureau of Criminal Apprehension expands content for financial crimes investigations

When an executive order expanded the scope of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension’s financial crimes investigations, their content team easily added pages and content for the new investigative responsibilities. Without extra help from IT staff, the team created pages providing information about insurance fraud, wage theft, financial crimes related to identity theft and state program fraud. An embedded digital form on the state program fraud page provides an easy way to report suspected fraud, helping investigators identify and stop people who misuse programs meant to serve Minnesotans.

Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement creates hub for alcohol licensee online services

When our Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement division wanted to centralize current and future online services for alcohol licensees, the team created a new hub pulling together the information and available services. The hub will continue to grow as new online services become available in the future. These improvements will make it easier for businesses operating in the state’s liquor industry to connect with the information and services they need.

Responding in times of need

We know our website can play a crucial role in supporting and informing Minnesotans in times of crisis or need.

In the wake of the tragic events at Annunciation Church and School in Minneapolis, our content teams quickly created an online resource for Minnesotans looking for support in the aftermath of a shooting event. The landing page connects visitors with 24-hour help lines, resources for dealing with the broad range of emotions and discussions related to traumatic events, and information about financial assistance for victims.

In another critical situation this past year, the website stood ready again to help amplify the communications about the suspect in the June 14 shootings of two Minnesota lawmakers. A quick-turn news release page helped share images and information about the suspect, along with details about a potential reward for information.

Digital forms for better service

Behind the scenes, we’ve continued making improvements to respond to user needs. Some of them you won’t see, but they still benefit you. One improvement you might see is the development of numerous digital forms that are helping you connect with us and submit information in a more efficient and secure manner. These forms are easy to use from a computer or mobile device, giving you options for how you submit information. Every new digital form helps create more efficiency and reduces response times through more streamlined operations.

Signs of satisfaction and reliability

As we watched the site grow and adapt over the year, we’ve also been monitoring how it performed. Here are some highlights of what we observed:

• User satisfaction increased by more than 18 percent during the first year.
• The success rate (the percentage of users who found what they needed) rose by almost 14 percent.
• Despite several widespread tech outages during the year, our site stayed up and continued serving Minnesotans.
• Our site had near-100-percent uptime each month, with only minimal disruptions during scheduled maintenance.

Looking ahead: we’ll continue building from this strong foundation

The first year has been defined by growth — not only for the website, but for our understanding of how you use it, what you expect and how we can best serve you.

I’m proud of what we’ve built and even more motivated by what we can continue to improve. The stories behind the data, the real people behind each click or search, remind us why this work matters.

We’ll keep listening. We’ll keep refining. And we’ll keep adding new content and making it easier for Minnesotans to get the information they need to stay safe, informed and supported — whenever they need it most.