Minnesota Agencies

Regulates and promotes the profession of law enforcement across the state of Minnesota through the adoption, regulation, and enforcement of education, selection, licensing, and training standards.

Minnesota's first step toward regulating the practice of law enforcement came in 1967 when the Minnesota Peace Officer Training Board (MPOTB) was created by the legislature. Beginning in 1968, MPOTB's responsibilities included certification of agencies offering police academy training. The certification of training programs was an attempt to standardize police training in the state.

In 1977 the Minnesota legislature debated the role of law enforcement in society and then passed several amendments to the original MPOTB legislation. These amendments abolished the MPOTB and replaced it with the Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST Board). The mission of the new Minnesota POST Board was to create the first law enforcement occupational licensing system in the United States. This system established law enforcement licensing and training requirements and set standards for law enforcement agencies and officers.

As an occupational regulatory agency, POST is responsible for licensing over 10,500 active peace officers and over 250 active part-time peace officers. The board has the legislative authority to adopt administrative rules that have the force and effect of law, rules that enable the board to establish policies and standards to which all licensees must adhere. (Taken from the Board's website, 6/3/2016).

Laws of Minnesota 2023, chapter 52, article 10, section 10, includes language that no later than January 1, 2024, the board must adopt rules under chapter 14 that permit the board to take disciplinary action on a licensee for a violation of a standard of conduct in Minnesota Rules, chapter 6700, whether or not criminal charges have been filed and in accordance with the evidentiary standards and civil processes for boards under chapter 214.

15-member board: 14 are appointed by the Governor to staggered four-year terms; the remaining member is the superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. The appointed members represent the following: two public members; two police chiefs; two county sheriffs; four peace officers (one of whom is a Minnesota State Trooper); two former peace officers and one administrator who are currently employed by a college or university that offers a professional peace officer education program; and one elected city official from a city with a population under 5,000 outside the metro area. The chair is appointed by the Governor from these members.

Executive directors: Carl Pearson, 1977 - 1978; Mark Shields, 1978 - 1987; William Carter III, 1988 - 1994; Ray Cummings, 1994 - 1994; John Laux, 1995 - 1998; Neil Melton, 1998 - 2014; Nathan Gove, 2014 - 2020; Erik Misselt, 2020 -