2021 State Trooper training academy canceled due to budgetary constraints

The 2021 Minnesota State Trooper training academy has been canceled due to budgetary constraints.

According to a statement from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, the training academy, which normally trains 35 troopers per year, has been canceled.

The State Patrol expects to lose 35 troopers per year due to retirement or leaving the patrol. Because of the attrition, the patrol conducts a 15-17 week training academy at Camp Ripley each year to replace the leaving troopers with new ones.

The 2021 academy will not occur due to budgetary restraints after Gov. Walz’s supplemental budget — which would have included funding for State Patrol equipment, compensation costs and next year’s Training Academy for approximately 40 trainees — failed to pass.

Each academy costs between $4.5 and $5.5 million for the lease, equipment and training staff costs.

Without the 2021 academy, the State Patrol will require additional funds to train a larger than normal 2022 trooper class, according to the release.