Interim Col. Christina Bogojevic will be the next chief of the Minnesota State Patrol, making her the second woman ever to lead the State Patrol, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety announced Thursday.
Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson praised the selection in his announcement, saying Bogojevic brings a “wealth of knowledge, leadership and dedication, not only to the organization, but to law enforcement as a whole.”
Bogojevic “embodies the State Patrol’s core values and cares deeply for the people with whom she works and serves,” Jacobson said. “I am confident she will continue to make a positive impact within the State Patrol and communities across our state.”
Bogojevic, who joined the State Patrol in 2003, was named to lead the agency in an interim role following the departure this month of Col. Matt Langer, who left for a position with the International Association of Chiefs of Police. She had been a lieutenant colonel with the patrol since December 2022.
The first woman to serve as chief of the Minnesota State Patrol was Anne Beers, who led the agency from 1997 to 2005 and was the second woman to lead a state police agency in the United States. Beers said Thursday that she “couldn’t be happier” about the selection of Bogojevic.
“To have this opportunity of having another woman rise through the ranks and be in a position to be colonel, I just praise the organization and I praise her for her commitment and her abilities,” Beers said.
In the past year, the State Patrol has actively sought to recruit more women to its ranks in hopes of boosting its female troopers and support staff to 30% by 2030.
Beers said she met Bogojevic when she was promoted to second in command and thought it was a “great step” by Langer to put Bogojevic in a spot where she could eventually serve in the agency’s top job. Beers described Bogojevic as “very capable” and said the State Patrol will be in good hands.
