Change didn’t happen quickly or easily. It came when women stepped forward to challenge expectations, change the face of public safety and build a stronger, more inclusive approach to keeping Minnesotans safe.

As we recognize Women’s History Month, we’re highlighting some of the women who took those steps forward at the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS).

The first class

In 1976, three women stepped forward to change the face of those in uniform.

Anne Beers, Sue Hackett and Ruth Wittner were the first women to attend the Minnesota State Patrol Academy. They made up a quarter of the graduating class and became the State Patrol’s first three female troopers.

After almost 20 years of service, Ruth Wittner left the State Patrol in 1995 while Sue Hackett went on to become a lieutenant in 1997. Alongside these two dedicated women, Anne Beers blazed her own path becoming the first woman to hold the ranks of lieutenant, captain, major and deputy chief in the State Patrol. She was named chief in 1997, becoming the first woman to lead the agency and the first to lead a state police department in the United States.

Together, Wittner, Hackett and Beers helped redefine what law enforcement looked like in Minnesota, paving the way for generations of women who followed.

Civil rights to civil service

Before Debbie Montgomery became the St. Paul Police Department’s first female officer in 1975, she walked alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from Selma to Montgomery, Ala., to try to advance the fight for civil rights.

Raised in St. Paul’s Rondo neighborhood, the civil rights issues facing her community led her to activism, becoming the youngest member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s board of directors at 17. Montgomery’s role took her across the country and into the middle of the civil rights movement. It also led to her 28-year career in law enforcement.

In 1975, St. Paul Mayor Larry Cohen asked Montgomery to enroll in the police academy. She did and quickly excelled, passing the rigorous physical tests and rising to the top of her academy class.

She went on to rise through the ranks of the St. Paul Police Department, becoming a sergeant and eventually, a senior commander.

Montgomery joined DPS as assistant commissioner in 1991, helping to shape law enforcement strategies across the state. She retired from DPS in 2003 — just in time to be the first Black woman ever elected to the St. Paul City Council in 2004.

From educator to investigator

Linda Finney’s journey led her from one of the first policewomen in Dade County, Fla., to lead the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA). However, she thought a career in law enforcement was on the path behind her when she moved to Minnesota in the 1980s. She was an educator, working as a contract instructor at the (BCA). After a year, she became a special agent. In 2004, she was named the first woman and first person of color to serve as BCA superintendent.

Her leadership helped bring Minnesota’s AMBER Alert program to life — building a coordinated, statewide response that has helped safely recover abducted children and has served as a model for collaboration across the country.

Top cop

DPS Commissioner Ramona Dohman’s career was also marked by a series of trailblazing first steps.

Dohman was the first woman officer in two police departments in rural Minnesota before joining the Maple Grove Police Department in 1984. In 2001, she became the first female to lead the department and in 2009 she became the first female president of the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association.

Former Gov. Dayton named Dohman DPS commissioner in 2011, making her the first woman to lead our agency. She served in the role until 2019, overseeing statewide law enforcement, emergency management and public safety services. During that time, she led efforts to modernize technology systems in our Driver and Vehicle Services division and worked with partners for large-scale events, including Super Bowl LII and the 2019 NCAA Men's Final Four basketball tournament.

Impact

The women who helped shape DPS didn’t do it all at once. Progress took time, earned by those who showed up, proved they belonged and built trust along the way. The trails they blazed not only opened doors for others but redefined what public safety in Minnesota looks like. Their legacy lives on in the work we do to make Minnesota a safer place.