In this issue:
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DPS: We are rebuilding our website to better serve all Minnesotans
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ECN: Crash detection technology gives employee peace of mind at home
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OTS: Driving sober is the perfect holiday gift
- Commissioner's corner: Personalize your vehicle with one of nine new special license plates
- Featured social media
 We are modernizing our website to make sure it provides better service to those who use it most.
Think back to 12 years ago. Social media was just becoming a part of our daily lives. There were more ads on TV for computers than phones. We were all more likely to use a phone to call for information than check a website.
A lot has changed in the dozen years since the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) first launched our current website. But one thing hasn't: Our site.
DPS is rebuilding its public website, updating it to make sure it serves you better. Not only are we addressing accessibility issues, making it mobile friendly, but we're also redesigning the navigation to streamline information so you can quickly and easily find what you need.
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Technology has changed: More people now access our website on smartphones than desktop computers. That's why the website rebuild will modernize the visual design of our site to be mobile friendly.
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Education: Our website can be a huge resource for people across the state, which is why the rebuild will improve how the content is organized, making sure you can find the information you need.
Learn more here.
 Emergency Communication Networks’ Sandi Stroud (far left) is close with her parents (center). When her father passed away, Stroud purchased her mother a new smartphone and smartwatch with crash detection technology to make sure she would stay safe.
When Sandi Stroud's father passed away earlier this year, it was hard on Stroud, but not as hard as knowing her 83-year-old mother was left living alone in another state.
Stroud, a 911 program manager in our Emergency Communication Networks (ECN) division, used her expertise and familiarity with new technology to make sure her mother could get help when she needed it, without losing her independence. Stroud purchased her mother a new smartphone and smartwatch with crash detection technology, because she knew that if her mother fell, it would work to get her the help she would need.
The technology really helped put Stroud's mind at ease.
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How it works: When you're connected to a mobile network, Apple and Android systems can detect a crash or fall and call a public safety answering point (PSAP), more commonly known as 911 dispatch centers.
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Stay on the line: The technology is still a work in progress and will sometimes call 911 when it isn't necessary. It's important to remember that if either you or this technology dial 911 by mistake, you need to stay on the line. Rather than hang up, tell the telecommunicator who answers that it was an accident, and you don't need help.
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Different alert options: It's important to understand the different emergency alert options available and what information they can actually provide to 911. Some options don't provide a precise location of the person in distress, or they don't connect to 911 but to an intermediary call center.
Learn more here.
 Our Office of Traffic Safety is coordinating a statewide extra DWI enforcement campaign through New Year’s Eve.
This holiday season, the Department of Public Safety (DPS) has been asking those who enforce our driving while impaired (DWI) laws a question: What's your why? Why is it important for you to keep impaired drivers off Minnesota's roads?
For Michelle Ness, a former deputy and current Toward Zero Deaths (TZD) coordinator for the Olmsted County Sheriff's Office, the “why" is actually a “who." When Ness was young, her friend Heather was killed by a drunk driver.
Ness became a sheriff's deputy a few years later and dedicated her career to honoring Heather's memory by preventing needless deaths caused by impaired driving. Ness's career as a sheriff's deputy was cut short by a drunk driver who attacked her during a traffic stop, severely injuring her shoulder. Ness stayed with the department as a TZD coordinator. She no longer patrols on Minnesota's roads; however, she supports the law enforcement officers who are out every day keeping our roads safe.
- ‘What’s your why’: Visit our DPS Facebook page to learn more reasons why public safety officials work so hard to stop impaired drivers through the “What's your why" campaign.
- Sobering statistics: From 2017-2021, 49 people died in drunk driving-related crashes between the day before Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve.
- The good news: These crashes are 100 percent preventable. The best way to save those lives is to have a sober driver. Also, don't forget to buckle up. It's the best defense against impaired drivers.
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Car enthusiasts from across Minnesota have been asking our Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS) division for more options to express their individuality through special license plates. This year we answered with a record number of new special plates, some of which you can purchase starting Jan. 1.
We will add nine new special plates in 2024, the most ever released in one year. A number of charitable foundations will benefit from the new plates, which include charities associated with Minnesota's professional sports teams and two nonprofits. DVS will also offer Minnesota’s version of a blackout plate.
DVS offers 123 different special plates and issued about 143,000 special plates in 2023. A full catalog of available special plates is available in this online brochure. To order license plates online or find an office to purchase them in-person, visit drive.mn.gov.
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