Public safety officials tout accomplishments in overview

With more than 1,900 employees and a $730.8 million biennial budget, the Department of Public Safety protects Minnesotans and their communities through a variety of activities.

Before department officials present funding increase requests for the upcoming biennium, they provided base budget details and a financial overview Tuesday to the House Public Safety and Security Policy and Finance Committee. No action was taken. 

The committee has jurisdiction of six department areas: Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Emergency Communication Networks, State Fire Marshal, Homeland Security and Emergency Management and the Office of Justice Programs. Traffic-related areas, such as the Minnesota State Patrol and Driver and Vehicle Services Division, are overseen by the House transportation committees.

Of the department’s 2016-17 biennial budget, 41 percent comes from special revenue accounts funded primarily from user fees; 30 percent comes from the General Fund; 28 percent comes from the Trunk Highway Fund; and 1 percent from the Highway User Tax Distribution Fund.

In looking at the numbers in one area, Superintendent Drew Evans said the BCA processed nearly 500,000 criminal history background checks in 2016, received 17,212 case assignments and its operation center handled 9,161 duty officer calls while providing 24-hour support to public safety agencies across the state.

Among the BCA-related items in the governor’s biennial budget proposal is an additional $2.46 million in the upcoming biennium “for seven additional agents, one criminal intelligence analyst and one legal analyst to increase the ability assist our law enforcement partners around the state in complex narcotics and homicide investigations”; $500,000 for “two forensic scientists to examine firearms and ammunition left at crime scenes”; and $200,000 to hire someone for the Investigations Division Criminal Information and Operations Section “to monitor the drug threat to Minnesota.”

Other public safety items in the governor’s biennial budget proposal include an additional:

• $20 million in Fiscal Year 2018 to replenish the state’s disaster assistance contingency account, “to provide disaster assistance in combination with or absent federal aid”;
• $7.88 million to maintain current operations at current services levels;  
• $4.1 million to “redesign and develop a new predatory offender registration system”;
• $2 million to “expand funding for multijurisdictional task forces investigating narcotics, gangs and violent crime”; and
• $200,000 to cover the state’s responsibility of paying local governments for the bomb squad services they provide the state.

Program activities in 2016 noted by the various officials include:

• the Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division conducted 149 gambling-related criminal investigations, a 39 percent increase from one year prior;
• Emergency Communication Networks staff continue to work on the development of FirstNet, a dedicated broadband network for emergency responders;
• the State Fire Marshal’s investigation team responded to more than 450 fires; and
• more than $19 million in disaster assistance was awarded to communities recovering from natural disasters.