The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association (MPPOA) was founded in 1922 and is the largest association representing licensed peace officers in the State of Minnesota.

From the beginning, the MPPOA's founding members sought to establish civil service protection for police officers across the state. Because a police officer's job could be dependent on the incoming administration's wishes, it often led to corruption in the police profession. A substantial effort by MPPOA board members to address this issue and build support across Minnesota communities led to the passing of the Civil Service enabling acts of 1929 and 1933. As a result, civil service coverage was extended to many of the law enforcement professionals in the state.

Today, the MPPOA continues to work aggressively on passing laws that support public safety and oppose laws that harm our profession. The MPPOA is the legislative voice to improve the working conditions and retirement benefits for public safety professionals and their families. In addition, through our efforts, Minnesota is one of the leaders in making benefits available to officers’ families that are killed in the line of duty.

Public Safety Training

Comprehensive public safety training has always been a vital concern of the MPPOA. Under its mandate to improve police training and create a professional police service, the MPPOA started its own statewide traveling police training school in 1936. In 1967, we were successful in working with the legislature to pass the mandatory Minnesota Peace Officers Training Law. This law created a training board advisory to the attorney general.

In 1977, the MPPOA helped establish the Peace Officers Standards and Training Board (P.O.S.T.), the first law enforcement licensing system in the United States. It has since served as a model throughout the nation. Today, the MPPOA works closely with P.O.S.T. to maintain the highest ethical standards in our profession.