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35 new Minnesota State Troopers are welcomed in
“To better serve those communities, we need a diverse workforce,” said Christina Bogojevic, the interim colonel for the Minnesota State Patrol.
MINNEAPOLIS — More than 520 cities and towns nationwide disbanded their police departments between 1972 and 2017, according to a study by Rice University. That number grew during the pandemic and now departments across the country are struggling to hire enough officers.
It was a topic of discussion as dozens of new Minnesota state troopers graduated Friday.
The organizations says while its numbers are holding steady, about 70 positions are still available. A spokesperson said getting people in the door remains a challenge, but the people who walk through are quality cadets.
There were 35 cadets who took the oath following completion of the 68th and 69th academies. Leadership of the department said the diversity of the two classes was a strength.
Loved ones were invited up to assist with the badge pinning ceremony. Husbands and wives came up with children of the cadets. Mothers, fathers, and siblings also proudly walked to the front of the Ted Mann Concert Hall to pin the badge on their new trooper.
Yahya Abdi’s was happy to have his family there. He said training added an extra challenge for him as a stay-at-home father, but says his past has helped him build his future.
“I was born in Somalia,” he said. “There was a civil war in Somalia, which resulted in people fleeing for their lives. So, I was one of the lucky ones. I escaped the war with my family.”
He said that experience had helped him be resilient in training.
Abdi’s colleague Catherine Barrie-Medellin knows a thing or two about resilience. She had to overcome challenges when her now 5-year-old twins were born.
“They found cancer in me,” she said, “And so that was a very traumatic experience. But going through that, and beating the cancer made me realize that I am strong enough to do it.”
Moo Eh Moo, another cadet, was drawn to the state trooper’s stated mission of protecting its communities.
He said he came to the states when he was only nine from a refugee camp in Thailand.
“My family were from Burma, where they fled from a civil war,” he said. “I felt like they didn’t have an order of protection and things like that from war. That’s part of me where I want to give back.”
Ryan Geiser has a history of serving. He was a military officer in the Marine Corp. He also worked in Japan in traffic management and collision investigations.
“Everyone has their own experiences in life,” said Geiser. “We’re able to work together and figure out solutions to problems.
Christina Bogojevic is the interim colonel for the State Patrol. She said diversity is a strength.
“We serve a diverse Minnesota,” she said. “To better serve those communities. We need a diverse workforce.”
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Officers say they found the man in the rear of an apartment building suffering from gunshot wounds.
ST PAUL, Minn. — St. Paul Police are investigating after finding a man dead following a shooting early Tuesday morning.
Squads were called to the 1200 block of University Ave. W around 12:30 a.m. after a 911 caller reported hearing gunshots and seeing a person lying on the ground. Upon arrival, officers found a man with apparent gunshot wounds lying in the rear of an apartment building, according to a press conference.
St. Paul Fire medics pronounced the man dead on the scene, according to police spokesman Sgt. Mike Ernster.
The SPPD homicide team is investigating the events that led up to the man’s death and trying to identify potential suspects. If you have any information on this incident, call 651-266-5650.
Case updates and the victim’s name will be released on St. Paul Police social media channels.
A ceremony was help honoring the Minnesota Supreme Court’s newest member.
ST PAUL, Minn. — A vast array of judges, lawyers, family and friends gathered at the Minnesota History Center in Saint Paul to honor the newest member of the Minnesota Supreme Court.
Chief Justice Natalie Hudson administered the oath of office to Associate Justice Theodora Gaitas, who was appointed last spring to replace retiring Associate Justice Margaret Chutich.
“A strong judiciary guards against tyranny, against oppression, against injustice. But a strong judiciary also serves the people,” Gaitas told the crowd.
Gaitas, who spent her childhood in Greece, quoted Greek philosopher Aristotle several times in her speech.
“Aristotle wrote law is order and good law is good order,” she said. “Here in Minnesota, we have good order. Good order relies on a strong judiciary.”
Gaitas has spent the past four years as a jurist on the Minnesota Court of Appeals and before that spent two years as a Ramsey County District Court Judge. She took the legal oath previously before joining the Supreme Court in August, so Monday’s event was purely ceremonial.
Gov. Walz appointed Gaitas and Judge Sarah Hennesy last April to fill two vacancies that were expected on the high court in the months ahead. Justice Hennesy joined the Supreme Court on May 13, replacing the retiring Associate Justice G. Barry Anderson.
Walz took a break from the vice-presidential campaign trail Monday afternoon to attend the ceremony and thank Gaitas for accepting the new role.
“One of the questions we asked is what life experiences shaped who you are,” Walz said. “Justice Gaitas’ personal journey, her personal heartaches, as well as her commitment to others shined through in so many ways. Putting others in front of herself, and her work as a public defender doing it with every ounce of her intellect, but with the compassion that needed to be there too, shined through.”
The heartache he referenced was the sudden death in 2023 of Justice Gaitas’s husband R. Christopher Sur. He died while cross-country skiing in Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis with a friend. Their daughter Clea performed with a musical combo at the ceremony and held a copy of the US and Minnesota Constitutions as Gaitas took the oath.
Lt. Gov. Flanagan praised Gaitas for her breadth of experience and connection to those who use the court system.
“Justice Gaitas has excelled at every level of the legal profession and the judiciary. Her extensive experience as an appellate public defender and judge in the district court and court of appeals instilled a deep understanding of how our justice system can and should treat real people.”
