In this issue
- OTS: 'Car seats are lifesavers'
- ECN: 911 is calling. Will you answer?
- OJP: New MMIR logo brings renewed awareness and hope for the future
- State Patrol: Cracking down on street racing
- Commissioner's corner
- Featured social media
 Public employees in St. Louis Park gave out 14 car seats in 2022 through the Perspectives program for caregivers. The car seats were purchased using a grant administered by the Office of Traffic Safety.
A properly installed car seat can be life or death for a child in a crash.
“Car seats are lifesavers," said Sue Rasmussen of the St. Louis Park Fire Department. “Having a car seat that fits the child and is installed correctly is the key to their safety."
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Click It or Ticket: Law enforcement agencies across the state will be doing extra seat belt and child restraint enforcement starting May 22.
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Chilling stats: According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 46 percent of car seats and booster seats are used incorrectly.
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Car seat installers: Car seat safety technicians across Minnesota will show you how to keep your kids safe.
Learn more here.
 A dispatcher tracks 911 calls in one of Minnesota’s 103 Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs).
The first, first responders don't fight fires, drive an ambulance or wear a badge. But they will be there to answer your call on one of your worst days.
We are talking about 911 dispatchers, also known professionally as public safety telecommunicators. These are people with a desire to serve and improve their communities using their own unique skills.
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What they do: Dispatchers are on the front lines of an emergency when someone calls or texts 911 for help. While they are unseen, they are saving lives, right alongside those first responders on the scene.
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National shortage: Minnesota is just one of many states in need of more public safety telecommunicators. That's why our Emergency Communications Networks (ECN) division is partnering with the Minnesota Sheriffs' Association to prioritize recruitment and retention efforts for 911 dispatchers statewide.
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Get started: If you know someone looking for a calling, this career could be the answer. Ask them to visit 911ItsYourCalling.com.
Learn more here.
 The main element of this logo features an Indigenous person with a red handprint, a powerful image that many people associate with the movement to end violence against Indigenous people
The staff in our Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives (MMIR) Office have seen first-hand how the epidemic of violence against Indigenous people has devastated families in Minnesota. That's why we are pleased to unveil a new logo incorporating colors and imagery important to the Indigenous peoples of our state.
MMIR Office Director Juliet Rudie and our passionate staff worked with an Indigenous marketing and creative design agency to create a thoughtful, striking logo that represents the people we serve.
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Goal: The logo aims to recognize the epidemic of missing and murdered indigenous people and evoke a sense of hope for a brighter future.
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Day of awareness: The logo was unveiled in conjunction with the May 5 National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives. Last Friday, Indigenous people and supporters in St. Paul gathered to bring awareness and attention to the disproportionate number of missing and murdered Indigenous people in Minnesota.
Learn more here.
 The Minnesota State Patrol uses helicopters to track dangerous driving behaviors from the air, reducing the risk to those on Minnesota’s roads.
Earlier this year, a Minnesota State Patrol trooper watched as three vehicles slowed traffic on I-494, lined up, then raced at speeds of more than 100 mph down the interstate.
Troopers stopped two of the three vehicles and cited two drivers for reckless driving; however, imagine sharing the highway with someone driving that fast. Would you feel safe?
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Hundreds of stops: The State Patrol has made 365 street racing stops since March 1.
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Out in force: State Patrol troopers and our partner agencies will be on the roads this spring and summer to stop dangerous driving behaviors across the state, including street racing.
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Aviation program is key: Pilots can safely track fleeing motorists from the sky, which reduces the risk of a fleeing driver causing a crash on our roads and allows law enforcement to safely apprehend the driver later.
Learn more here.
You have one job behind the wheel: Driving.
Law enforcement agencies across Minnesota cited 3,427 drivers for hands-free cell phone violations during the April extra enforcement campaign. Each one put themselves and others on the road at risk.
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) coordinates the effort, which included extra enforcement, education and awareness to help influence drivers to pay attention and keep people safe on the road.
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