MN Troopers Stop 500+ Speeders During 10-day 'HEAT' Patrol
Minnesota State Troopers stopped 516 drivers for speeding during a 10-day period of what the agency called Highway Enforcement for Aggressive Traffic—or ‘HEAT’—patrols.
Troopers also arrested 23 people for driving while impaired and six people for outstanding warrants.
HEAT patrols focused on excessive speed enforcement and criminal activity for 10 nights beginning on Feb. 14. The patrols were suspended for several nights due to weather and concluded on Feb.25, running from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. each night.
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Troopers conducted HEAT patrols on roadways around Minneapolis and surrounding areas, including on I-94 between I-694 and Saint Paul, on Highway 100 in northern Hennepin County, and on Highway 494 and I-35E in the east metro.
In addition to speeding violations and DWI arrests, troopers also cited:
80 people for driving without a valid license.
22 drivers for violating the hands-free cell phone law.
13 drivers for failing to move over for a stopped emergency vehicle with flashing lights activated.
Six people for not wearing their seatbelts.
The State Patrol increased its aviation support to assist troopers on the road during the HEAT patrols, so that drivers attempting to flee from a traffic stop would be located, the Department of Public Safety said in a media release.
Incidents in which MSP Flight were involved included:
Feb. 14 –Troopers initiated a traffic stop and the vehicle fled. MSP Flight provided location updates as the ground units discontinued the pursuit. The vehicle stopped in Minneapolis after driving on city streets for 10 minutes. The driver fled on foot. Officers on the ground took the driver into custody without incident.
Feb. 16 - Robbinsdale PD requested assistance with a vehicle pursuit. While en route, the suspect vehicle crashed and the driver fled on foot. MSP Flight searched the area using a thermal imaging camera system. The suspect attempted to hide in a backyard. Flight provided location information and directed the local police K-9 team to the suspect who was taken into custody without incident. A gun was recovered.
Feb. 17 - South Saint Paul PD requested assistance in locating a suspect in a domestic-abuse-no-contact violation. The suspect ran from the scene on foot. MSP Flight arrived and identified a “heat source” crouched down between a fence and a shed; it appeared to be a person hiding. Flight directed officers to the area and the suspect was taken into custody without incident.
Feb. 17 - Hennepin County Sherriff’s deputies requested assistance to search for a vehicle taken at gunpoint near Brooklyn Center. The vehicle was reported to be stopped in a fast food parking lot. MSP Flight watched the vehicle until officers arrived. Officers attempted to stop the vehicle in the drive-thru lane. The vehicle went into reverse and rammed a squad car. The suspects surrendered and were taken into custody without incident.
Feb. 17 - MSP Flight assisted with a pursuit of a stolen vehicle taken at gunpoint, tracking the vehicle to an alley on Farwell Ave between Vincent Ave and Upton Ave in Minneapolis. The suspect fled on foot and entered a home on Upton Ave. Squads arrived in the area, secured the vehicle and made contact with several individuals at the residence who were taken into custody without incident.
Feb. 17 - Washington County Sherriff’s deputies requested assistance with a pursuit in the area of Hwy 36 and Demontreville. MSP Flight followed the suspect vehicle into Wisconsin and continued to provide location updates. Flight directed officers to the three suspects who were all taken into custody.
Feb. 19 - Chisago County Sherriff’s deputies requested MSP Flight assist with a search for a suspect that fled on foot from a traffic stop. Flight located the suspect approximately 40 yards from the K-9 team west of Forest Blvd. The suspect was taken into custody without incident.
Feb. 19 - MSP Flight assisted with a pursuit on I-494 near I-35W. Flight followed the car until it stopped voluntarily at 6th Street and 21st Ave N. The driver fled on foot and ran to a nearby business. The driver entered the business as officers were responding to the area. Officers set up a perimeter around the building, entered the building and took the suspect into custody without incident. The 19-year-old man was wanted on warrants and faces felony charges related to a shooting that occurred in Minneapolis last November.
The increased patrols followed a meeting with the Minnesota Police Chiefs and Sheriffs associations in February to discuss ways the State Patrol could expand its efforts to support local law enforcement agencies, DPS said.
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