Office of the Governor Blog
RSS FeedShowing posts tagged with Public Safety. Show all posts
Minnesota Department of Commerce Leads the Fight against Elder Investment Fraud
Seniors are the targets of financial fraud every day. To prevent the elderly from falling victim to financial fraud, the Minnesota Department of Commerce has joined in the fight against elder investment fraud through their training program “Preventing Elderly Investment Fraud” on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day that focused on prevention through education.
Many seniors become susceptible to investment fraud and financial exploitation because of age-related factors, illnesses and cognitive impairment. It is crucial that the elder populations are protected from investment fraud because senior citizens control nearly 70 percent of the nation’s wealth. According to a 2010 Investor Protection Trust (IPT) Elder Fraud Survey, one out of every five citizens over the age of 65 has already been victimized by a financial swindle.
The Minnesota Department of Commerce recognizes the vulnerability of seniors and through their training program addressed the need to educate health care providers about how to prevent seniors from falling victim to investment fraud. Health care providers are key in the detection and prevention of elder abuse, therefore providers need instruction on how to spot and report fraud and financial abuse within the elderly and vulnerable adult populations.
Read more >>
A couple of important reminders for the weekend
As Memorial Day weekend approaches, the office of the Governor and the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) urge you to drive safely and buckle up — extra Click It or Ticket seat belt patrols are on roads now.
In 2011, there were 365 (preliminary) traffic deaths in the state – far below the 568 deaths in Minnesota in 1990, but far higher than anyone wants. At this point in 2012, there have been 99- traffic deaths in the state.
The DPS, along with the Departments of Health and Transportation, the State Patrol , and other organizations, has started the Toward Zero Deaths (TZD) initiative. More information on TZD can be found here: http://www.minnesotatzd.org/. More information on safe driving tips and statistics can be found at the DPS Office of Traffic Safety website.
As you travel this weekend and throughout the summer — the deadliest time on Minnesota roads — follow these four basic steps to help ensure safer roads:
Buckle up. More than half the motorists killed in crashes are not wearing a seat belt.
Read more >>
Staying Safe During the 2012 Construction Season
The Minnesota Department of Transportation today announced its 2012 construction program, which will include 316 economy-boosting projects in the Metro and in Greater Minnesota. This year's state highway construction projects include work on the Interstate I-694/Highway 10 interchange in the Twin Cities and completion of construction on I-35 in Duluth. Other projects will improve safety at railroad crossings, repair weather-damaged seawalls and docks, and repair runways and terminals at regional airports.
“MnDOT is focused on improving our highways and maximizing the capacity of the system,” said Commissioner Tom Sorel. “Our transportation system is vital to the state’s economy and to its citizens’ quality of life. We want to ensure that it provides a safe and efficient trip for all users.”
Read more >>
Towards Zero Deaths—Minnesota’s Primary Seatbelt Law Saves Lives
A new study by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety shows 68 lives and over 300 injuries have been avoided in Minnesota thanks to the state’s 2009 Primary Seat Belt Law. Under the primary seat belt law, officers can ticket drivers for not wearing a seat belt without any other law being broken. Since the law went into effect, observed seatbelt use in the state has risen from 87 percent in 2008 to 93 percent in 2011.
“The findings of this study remind us again how vital it is for Minnesotans to buckle up — every seat, every ride,” said Public Safety Commissioner Mona Dohman. Seatbelt use reduces the risk of fatal injury in a passenger automobile by 45 percent. Unbuckled motorists are six times more likely to be injured in an accident than motorists wearing seat belts. Minnesotans that are least likely to buckle up and more likely to die in crashes are young drivers. This group represents only 24 percent of licensed drivers in Minnesota, yet they account for half of serious unbelted injuries.
The study by the Department of Public Safety showed 70 percent of Minnesota motorists are in favor of the Primary Seatbelt Law, up from 62 percent just before the law was passed. As more motorists use seatbelts, the drop in injuries is also saving the state money. $45 million in hospital bills have been avoided thanks to motorists using their seatbelts.
“As Minnesota continues its efforts to move roadway deaths towards zero, this research shows that seat belts are a critical tool in that effort,” said MnDOT Commissioner Tom Sorel. It’s important that every Minnesota motorist remembers to use a seatbelt. Buckling is the easiest, least expensive way to help lower traffic deaths in Minnesota.
Read more >>
Minnesota Receives Grant to Combat Car Theft
In 2010, Minnesotans lost almost 8,400 cars to auto theft, totaling more than $21.3 million in stolen assets. This week Commissioner Mike Rothman and the Department of Commerce unveiled Minnesota’s plan to combat this problem by granting metro area law enforcement with $3.8 million towards new theft-prevention technology.
This extension of the Minnesota's Auto Theft Prevention Grant Program will provide metro police departments with new “bait cars” equipped with hidden cameras and audio recording to help police officers catch criminals in the act. "There are audio recordings of them in the act of doing it, along with a video recording," Mille Lacs County Sheriff Brent Lindgren said. "Then you can actually shut the vehicle down and apprehend them while they're still in the vehicle, and provide all of that information to our jurors and to our prosecution to hold people accountable.”
Part of the new funding will also go towards purchasing new high-tech cameras, designed to photograph license plate numbers each time a car passes and run the number through several databases. This system will help law enforcement officials recognize not only stolen vehicles but also those operated by drivers with outstanding warrants and suspended licenses.
Read more >>
Pages 1
