MN State Patrol headquarters coming to Roseville
A central location for the state's highway law enforcement agency
For the first time in history, the Minnesota State Patrol will own a building for operations—and it will be located in Roseville.
The State of Minnesota purchased the property for $13.4 million, located on the 1500 block of Highway 36, on June 30, 2025.
This is the building behind the Roseville Target, which was previously used by the Minnesota Department of Education until 2022. The signage for National American University is still on one of the buildings. Both buildings have been vacant for at least seven years, according to Janice Gundlach, Roseville's community development manager.
The State Patrol chose the Roseville site because of its central metro location and proximity to highways and freeways, since the State Patrol does most of its work on highways and freeways around the state of Minnesota. The goal was to consolidate operations and space that is currently spread out among six different Twin Cities locations.
The State Patrol currently leases six spaces across the Twin Cities from MnDot and private entities. These spaces have been retrofitted, but aren't meeting the standards and needs of the State Patrol, officials say.
The existing locations include:
- Training and Development: Shoreview
- East Metro headquarters: Oakdale
- Central Headquarters: St. Paul
- Commercial Vehicle Section: Mendota Heights
- Investigations: Golden Valley
- West Metro Headquarters: Golden Valley
"We looked at several properties and nothing offered the space that we needed to take six working groups and put them under one roof, along with garage space," Colonel Christina Bogojevic, Chief of the Minnesota State Patrol, said in an interview. "Then we came upon the property in Roseville and it really fit what we were looking for."
There will be approximately 300 personnel based out of this new headquarters, Lieutenant Colonel Jeremy Geiger told the Roseville Reader. The new headquarters will give troopers and personnel from across the state a place to meet, recruit, train, store evidence, do administrative work, type reports, get IT support, utilize secure garage space, and anything else already happening at the six other Metro locations.
It will be a "shared building with some separate spaces, but allows collaboration between all of the work groups," Bogojevic said.
"This is an agencywide building and it's very exciting for this agency to start owning their own property and owning their own building. It ripples across the entire agency and the people that work here," Grieger said.
Troopers and State Patrol personnel from across the state of Minnesota will be able to use the new facility, not just those based in the metro. The current sites around the Twin Cities will be phased out.
Roseville residents can expect to see more State Trooper patrols on roads and highways in and around Roseville, once operations are centralized here in 2028.
The Role of the Minnesota State Patrol
The Minnesota State Patrol was created by the MN State Legislature in 1929, first called the Minnesota Highway Patrol. Today, over 500 state troopers and 295 civilian personnel work for the agency. They are responsible for providing assistance, education, and law enforcement to people traveling on Minnesota roadways. The State Patrol also includes commercial vehicle inspectors, 911 dispatchers, and other support staff.
According to the State Patrol website:
"Troopers also educate Minnesotans about the importance of traffic safety; investigate and reconstruct serious crashes; conduct flight patrols and search and rescue missions; assist other law enforcement agencies; and serve as a vital component of the state’s homeland security efforts."
The State Patrol is also responsible for providing capitol security and executive security to keep people and property safe at the Capitol property in Saint Paul and state buildings.
When asked if the State Patrol would assist or collaborate with the National Guard or immigration enforcement (ICE) if deployed in the Twin Cities, Bogojevic said, "We don't have the authority to do those additional duties. Any additional duties that we would take part in have to be authorized by the governor and the commissioner of public safety."
Read Minnesota State Statute 299D for a comprehensive description of the roles and responsibilities of the Minnesota State Patrol. Or check out the State Patrol website.
Working with the Roseville Police Department
The State Patrol has no plans to lease or share space with other law enforcement agencies, but they regularly collaborate with municipal police departments including Roseville's.
"I've said this from the beginning, we can't do this work alone," Bogojevic said.
For example, the State Patrol has worked with the Roseville Police Department and Ramsey County Sheriff's department to respond to street racing in Roseville and other activity that impacts traffic safety.
"The Minnesota State Patrol has always been a great partner to the Roseville Police Department, and we frequently work together—particularly during major incidents, crashes, or other events along the freeways that run through Roseville," Roseville Police Chief Erika Scheider told the Roseville Reader.
The City's Role in Land Development
The City of Roseville was not involved in the sale of the property to the Minnesota State Patrol and the city never considered purchasing it.
"The city’s only influence is through our zoning authority, which outlines the various types of uses and performance-related standards that would apply," Janice Gundlach, Roseville's Community Development Director, told the Roseville Reader.
The State of Minnesota purchased three parcels for the State Patrol which are zoned E-1, Employment, and the smaller parcel on the south side of Commerce Street is zoned MU-4, Core Mixed Use.
The prior user of the property was a tax-paying entity, but now that it is owned by the State of Minnesota it will be tax exempt, according to Gundlach.
In the past, city councilmember Julie Strahan had suggested the city consider purchasing or leasing the former education building as a place for a community center or a place to house the license and passport center or for maintenance operations, but it didn't get any traction from others on the city council. According to Strahan, City Manager Pat Trudgeon told her that the city did not have the funds to make a purchase like this. The building had also only been available to lease until recently.
Demolition and Construction
The existing buildings on the site will be demolished in spring 2026 and construction is anticipated to be completed by May 2028, in advance of the Minnesota State Patrol's 100th anniversary. They are currently in the "design and build" phase of the project, but no designs have been released to the public.
"We're excited to be part of the community. Once it's up, we invite the community to come in when we have community events or the hundred year anniversary ribbon cutting," Bogojevic said.
