In this issue:
- DVS: Virtual assistant can help you navigate Driver’s License for All
- SFM: Fire deaths reach 27-year high
- State Patrol: Minnesota Air Rescue Team trains to save lives
- BCA: Preparing to implement Clean Slate, Adult-Use Cannabis expungements
- Commissioner's corner
- Featured social media
 Graphics like this one show people how to use the new multilingual virtual assistant.
Having a valid driver's license can change your life in Minnesota, no matter which language you speak. That's why staff in our Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS) division was so excited to launch our multilingual virtual assistant in advance of the Driver's License for All program that goes into effect Oct. 1.
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Making it easier: “We know getting a driver's license can make life a lot easier and we want to make the process for getting one easy too," said DVS Director Pong Xiong. “We are trying to meet people where they are and where they need service."
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How it works: The virtual assistant leverages Google artificial intelligence to make interactions with DVS better for English, Hmong, Somali and Spanish speaking customers.
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What it does: DVS online visitors can use the virtual assistant to ask questions, gather information and research topics in one of four languages, which will be especially helpful as thousands of people get a Minnesota license starting next fall.
Learn more here.
 An investigator with our State Fire Marshal Division examines the aftermath of a house fire.
Unfortunately, 70 Minnesotans lost their lives last year because of a fire. That is the most people who have died because of a fire in a single year since 1995. Our State Fire Marshal (SFM) division is working with fire departments and Minnesotans across the state to bring that number down.
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Circumstances vary: The deaths in 2022 touched nearly every demographic from the young to the old; they happened in a variety of environments and situations; and occurred through day or night. However, that doesn't mean we can't stop them.
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Smoking causes fires: Smoking caused the fires in nine of the fire deaths, and drugs or alcohol were present at 29 of the 70 fire deaths in 2022.
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Greater Minnesota: Fire fatalities are a problem across the state, not solely in the Twin Cities Metro Area. Fifty-nine percent of all fatal fires in 2022 took place in greater Minnesota. Those fires accounted for 41 of the 70 deaths.
Learn more here
 A member of the Minnesota Air Rescue Team practices a water rescue with another member of the team.
Whether you are lost in the forest, stranded on the top of a water tower or struggling to stay above water, it takes a specialized team to get you safely back on solid ground. In our state, that's the Minnesota Air Rescue Team (MART).
MART is a partnership between our Minnesota State Patrol Aviation Division and the St. Paul Fire Department Advanced Technical Rescue Team. The team gathered at Hidden Valley Park in St. Paul in June for water rescue training.
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Ready for anything: Paul Fire Capt. Mike Aspnes brings the team together to train three times per month to make sure they are ready for anything, whether it's plucking a lost hiker off a cliffside or picking a swimmer out of the river.
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Great partnership: “We're fortunate to have this great partnership with the State Patrol. They bring a skill set to the table and the St. Paul fire fighters bring a skill set to the table. They complement each other so well," Aspnes said. “That's how we get to do what we do and do it as well as we do."
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Difficult job: “We train hard and when it comes together like this, and you bring someone back and nobody got hurt: There's nothing like that," State Patrol pilot Jim Englin said.
Learn more here.
 The BCA has begun preparing for new laws passed by the Minnesota Legislature.
Some Minnesotans will soon have certain criminal records expunged thanks to a pair of laws passed by the Minnesota Legislature: The Adult-Use Cannabis Act and the Clean Slate Act. These laws require automatic expungement of some records in our Bureau of Criminal Apprehension's (BCA) criminal history database.
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What is expungement: Expungement is a process that seals records including convictions, arrests and other records, preventing them from being viewed. Statutes, laws and rules determine who can see the records and under what circumstances.
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Many affected: An estimated 66,000 cannabis-related records in the CHS are eligible for automatic expungement; an additional 230,000 records would be eligible for review by the Expungement Review Board at the Minnesota Department of Corrections.
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Track the process: Minnesotans can track progress of the BCA's work on implementing the expungements on the BCA website.
Learn more here.
 Department of Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson and Minnesota IT Services Commissioner Tarek Tomes on June 23 applauded the state employees who worked together to launch the new service.
Our new multilingual virtual assistant has answered more than 58,000 questions for Minnesotans since its launch this spring.
The virtual assistant — launched by our Driver and Vehicle Services division —leverages Google artificial intelligence to make interactions with DVS better for English, Hmong, Somali and Spanish speaking customers. DVS online visitors can use the virtual assistant to ask questions, gather information and research topics in one of four languages, letting them get accurate information on how to get their driver's license, regardless of language.
Department of Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson and Minnesota IT Services Commissioner Tarek Tomes on June 23 applauded the state employees who worked together to bring the service to you, the people of Minnesota. DPS took home the MNIT 2023 Partner of the Year Award for its work on the virtual assistant.
Visit drive.mn.gov and look for the HELP button on the lower right of the screen
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