Associated Press
Attention Minnesotans with lead feet: Lay off the gas pedal in central Minnesota.
More specifically, watch it on Interstate 94 about 40 miles west of St. Cloud in Sauk Centre. That’s because State Patrol Trooper Gregg Gerhartz watches that strip and, according to a statewide analysis, he single-handedly scored more arrests and warnings than any other trooper in the state last year.
The analysis by the St. Cloud Times found that each of the state’s 374 troopers averaged 597 arrests and 806 warnings. Each also responded to 63 accidents and provided assistance 434 times to motorists or other law enforcement agencies. But the range of trooper activity varied greatly with one trooper making almost 100 times as many arrests as the state’s lowest arrest-maker.
Gerhartz logged a combined 5,410 arrests and warnings in 2001 - almost three for every hour he worked. But he’s not all bad, 62 percent were warnings.
“Go the speed limit and wear your seat belt,” said Gerhartz of the two most common violations he sees. “If you frequently drive out here, you’ll see where we are. We’re visible.”
He said the recently refinished roadway on Interstate 94 provides for a smooth ride and drivers just don’t pay attention. “If you came out and rode along, you’d see that it’s pretty simple to do. ... I stop a lot of cars,” he said.
The majority of troopers had numbers that hovered near the state averages, according to the analysis. Still, the range varied widely among troopers:
-Trooper Alan Thompson, based in Shakopee, made the most arrests with 3,256 while Mitchell Suess, based in St. Cloud, made the fewest with 36. Thompson averaged three arrests every two hours he worked. Another Shakopee trooper, Steven Hanson, had the second-most arrests with 2,746.
-Gerhartz gave the most warnings in the state with 3,376, and Trooper Melissa Strassburg in Maple Grove gave the fewest with 55.
To be sure, a year’s worth of information doesn’t necessarily reflect the many different things that go into patrolling the state’s roads. The number of cars on the road, the geography of the trooper’s area and the time of day all influence what a trooper does or doesn’t do.
For example, the analysis shows troopers in the Twin Cities area respond to more accidents than those in rural areas. In rural Minnesota, troopers tend to spend more time making arrests and giving warnings to drivers.
The State Patrol, which operates on a $60 million budget, says it’s a balancing act between enforcing traffic laws and providing service on the state’s nearly 12,000 miles of highways.
Troopers balance the responsibilities of the job with what the public expects, said Mat Hodapp, president of the Minnesota State Patrol Troopers Association. Some drivers are thankful troopers patrol the roads while others wish they’d spend time stopping the other guy, he said.
“What makes a good trooper?” said Bob Prout, a criminal justice professor at St. Cloud State University and former Ohio State Trooper. “I would say it’s an individual who has the missionary zeal for enforcing the traffic laws and an appreciation for the differences in human behavior.”