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Board of Private Detectives and Protective Agents reports on licensing modernization after funding increase
Summary
Greg Cook, executive director, told the committee the board used a previous budget increase to implement an electronic licensing and records system, digitize decades of paper files and expand staffing; the board is not requesting additional money this biennium but seeks statutory updates to address technology and definitional gaps.
Greg Cook, Executive Director of the Minnesota Board of Private Detectives and Protective Agents, reported to the committee that a prior biennial budget increase allowed his office to move from paper files to an electronic licensing and records management system. He said the board regulates about 14,600 private investigators and protective agents, and that the new system will enable online applications, renewals, training reporting and public credential verification.
Cook said when he left the agency in 2020 the annual budget was about $278,000; the legislature subsequently increased the agency's annual budget to $688,000 and that enabled staffing increases, the record management system, and scanning and indexing of historical paper documents. He told members the agency is at the tail end of a hiring process that will bring staffing to roughly 4.5 FTE plus the executive director.
Cook said the board's next priority is statutory modernization — many of the board's statutes date back to 1974 and need updating for modern issues such as drone and GPS tracking, training standards, and clearer definitions. The board noted the improvements were achieved without a new request this session and asked for legislative support on statutory updates.
