MINNESOTA CHIEFS

OF

POLICE ASSOCIATION

D EDICATED TO THE IDEALS OF P ROFESSIONAL P OLICING

March 9, 2015

Representative Tony Cornish
369 State Office Bldg
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd
St. Paul, MN 55155-1298

RE: HF 12 MCPA Letter of Support

Dear Representative Cornish,

On behalf of more than 300 police chiefs in our state, the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association (MCPA) stands in
support of your bill to establish a Blue Alert System (HF12). A Blue Alert System would help assure individuals who kill or
seriously injure police officers are quickly captured.

Sadly, in 2014, across the nation, 126 law enforcement officers died in the line of duty, including 15 who were killed in
ambush assaults, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, a 200% increase from 2013. Close
to home, Mendota Heights police officer Scott Patrick was one of those 15 victims. He was shot and killed on July 30,
2014. On that tragic day, a Blue Alert System would have improved communication between police agencies, instantly
informed the public of the shooting and potentially decreased the time it took to apprehend officer Patrick's killer.

Finding and arresting suspects rapidly in these cases and in the much more common cases where an officer is seriously
injured - minimizes the potential for more violence and is paramount to public safety in our communities. A Blue Alert
System, which is already operating in 20 other states, makes sense for Minnesota.

The MCPA appreciates the efforts of legislators who support the thousands of law enforcement professionals who
selflessly serve to keep our neighborhoods and cities across our state safe, especially in these times when policing is
under intense scrutiny and in a climate that appears to be growing more and more dangerous every day.

Sincerely,

Andy Skoogman
MCPA Executive Director

1951 woodlane drive woodbury, mn 55125 651.457.0677 800.377.4058 www.mnchiefs.org