Friends,
 
As we continue to highlight law enforcement officers and the work they do across the state of Minnesota to protect and serve, I invite you to join the conversation by sharing a story or an officer who you think deserves to be recognized! Please email [email protected] or visit my website: https://emmerforcongress.com/thankacop/shareyourstory/. I look forward to hearing from you!
 
Officer Highlight: Sergeant Kyle Puelston, Chisago County Sheriff’s Office
 
Over the weekend, Sergeant Kyle Puelston was working an MN Toward Zero Deaths traffic shift. MN Toward Zero Deaths is an interdisciplinary organization that “saves lives by bringing together Education, Enforcement, Emergency Medical and Trauma Services, Engineering - and more!” By coordinating with the Department of Transportation, the Department of Health, and the Department of Public Safety, MN Toward Zero Deaths facilitates regional efforts throughout the state by looking at “crash data specifics to their areas, then working with the constituents to implement proven circumstances.”
 
Because there have been 367 deaths on Minnesota’s roads in 2020, MN Toward Zero Deaths is out in full force for the remainder of the year. In 2019, there were 338 deaths on Minnesota’s roads, but due to the pandemic, there has been a decrease in traffic statewide by 60% from 2019 to 2020. MN Towards Zero Deaths is hoping that with extra enforcement, further needless tragedies can be prevented.
 
After a routine traffic stop in North Branch around 10:30 PM, Sergeant Puelston’s squad car was hit by a driver in a pickup truck who appeared to be intoxicated. Fortunately, the driver was arrested and neither she nor Sergeant Puelston suffered serious injuries. Sergeant Puelston was treated immediately for his injuries, and he has been released.