In this issue:
- Commissioner Jacobson: Building a monument to your commitment
- State Patrol: Six narcotics detection K-9s added to roster
- OJP: Report offers roadmap to MMIR Office
- DVS: Language project’s service to Minnesotans recognized
- Featured social media
 Gov. Tim Walz, Commissioner Bob Jacobson and HSEM Director Kristi Rollwagen joined other representatives for a groundbreaking on the new State Emergency Operations Center.
We turned dirt in Blaine on Thursday afternoon, commemorating the next step in building your new State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC).
We stood alongside the governor, city and county officials, each hailing the importance of having a new state-of-the art facility so we can respond to any emergencies. As Gov. Tim Walz pointed out, the emergencies you respond to can be acts of nature, such as a flood, or man-made tragedies, such as the gun violence our counterparts in Maine are working through.
The 37,000-square-foot building nestled in a not-so-often traveled area of Blaine will have space for our partners who support us and will house the latest technologies needed to help us serve Minnesotans in what can be some of their darkest moments.
The people I spoke with who were at the groundbreaking ceremony represent only a fraction of the agencies with whom we partner: Firefighters, military personnel, Salvation Army volunteers, and representatives from our own divisions. Looking over that group made me proud to utter the words I had written less than 24 hours earlier:
“This facility will be more than a building. We talk here at DPS often of uplifting those who serve in public safety, recognizing their importance. Also recognizing how important it is to give them the tools and support to do this difficult work. Today, we set forth building a monument to DPS employees, emergency responders and the work they do. This facility will stand as a very real example of uplifting public safety.”
The new SEOC, expected to be open in 2025, is simply one example of the commitment state officials have made to you and your work. We stand on the foundation of your work when we make requests for multi-million dollar projects. When those calls are answered, the entire state owes thanks to each of you.
This building stands as a tangible promise. Within the SEOC’s walls, Minnesota’s residents, businesses and visitors will get the very best from our dedicated public servants and leaders who will staff this location to faithfully serve the people who call this state home.
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 Minnesota State Patrol K-9 Robie trains his nose by finding which of the identical white boxes has illicit drugs inside.
Courageous, confident and levelheaded: Those are exactly the traits we look for in Minnesota State Patrol troopers. That principle holds true when we add K-9s to its roster.
The last few weeks have been busy as the State Patrol has been training six new detection dogs: Charly, Robie, Alex, Joni, Tajga and Bolo. The new recruits include four Belgian Malinois, a German wirehair pointer and a Hungarian Vizsla, all chosen for their hunting abilities and social skills.
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K-9 unit: The Minnesota State Patrol K-9 unit includes 14 K-9 teams across the state that are specifically trained to sniff out illegal drugs enroute to Minnesota communities, whether those illicit substances are in a personal vehicle, a bus or a building. The unit also has one explosives detection dog.
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Importance: "Illegal drugs and the criminal activity that surrounds them have a devastating effect on our communities and roadways," Lt. Robert Zak, who oversees the State Patrol K-9 program, said. "Our K-9s are highly trained to sniff out illegal drugs and interrupt the flow of those drugs, taking them out of the hands of criminals and off the streets and making our communities and roadways safer."
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Training: There is more than a month of training with just the dog before Mills matches the K-9 with a handler. After that, the pair train for another six weeks.
Learn more here.
 Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Office Director Juliet Rudie shares her office’s work in a presentation.
The staff in our Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives (MMIR) Office have seen first-hand how devastating it can be when a loved one goes missing or is murdered.
A new report — released to the public in October — has provided us with a roadmap to putting an end to the epidemic of violence. Our MMIR office partnered with Wilder Research in 2022 to conduct a comprehensive, year-long study that examined emerging best practices in cases of missing and murdered Indigenous people, and identified current issues in Minnesota at the federal, state and Tribal levels.
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Prioritization: The Wilder Research report helps MMIR prioritize where to focus their efforts as they continue to facilitate and implement the recommendations from the 2020 Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Task Force report.
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Call to action: The report calls on Minnesota to improve the training of law enforcement and other officials to increase the knowledge and use of best practices in investigating missing persons and suspicious deaths cases.
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Partnerships are key: “We consider it a privilege to partner with state agencies, law enforcement, victim service providers and the media in the years to come to incorporate these recommendations with the end goal of responding to MMIR cases swiftly and effectively," MMIR Office Director Juliet Rudie said.
Learn more here.
 The Department of Public Safety Driver and Vehicle Services division’s language access project was recognized Oct. 10 by the National Association of State Chief Information Officers.
As Minnesotans, we know our state is a great place to live, work and play. It should come as no surprise that people come from a variety of backgrounds to settle here and work together to make Minnesota successful.
However, non-English speakers face tremendous challenges in accessing important information. That's why our Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS) division launched its language access project, leveraging Google artificial intelligence technology to communicate in multiple languages via a chatbot at drive.mn.gov. The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) recognized the DVS language project Oct. 10 for its work to enhance service for Minnesotans of all backgrounds, regardless of what language they speak.
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Belongs to the community: There would be no success without our community partners, according to Community Affairs Director Nicole Archbold. “Their input has made the Virtual Assistant more accessible and a better tool. Success belongs to every team member, collaborating partner and the community!" Archbold said.
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Step in the right direction: Our virtual assistant improves interactions with DVS for English, Hmong, Somali and Spanish speaking customers.
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Find help: Visit the Virtual Assistant at drive.mn.gov and look for the HELP button in the lower right of the screen.
Learn more here.
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