Minnesota / Public Safety Department

Agency file

Public Safety Department

Source file: Minnesota — State Employee Payroll / ingested Jun 18, 2026

The Public Safety Department provides law enforcement and public safety — patrol, criminal investigation, and emergency response.

In 2025, this agency had 2,398 employees with median total compensation of $76,256; the highest distinct record was $236,646.

Year: 2025
Total payroll: $194.2M
Employees: 2,398
Median total: $76,256
Highest record: $236,646

What the records show

Compensation analytics

These summaries compare pay within the agency before listing individual records.

Salary distribution

$424$171,977+

Hover a bar for its range; click to filter the list below.

How 2025 total compensation is spread across the 2,398 employees. Each bar is a pay range; taller bars mean more people earn in that range. The amber line marks the median ($76,256) — half earn less, half more. The far-right bar collects the highest earners.

Average pay composition

Base — $74,143 (92%)
Overtime — $5,197 (6%)
Other — $1,664 (2%)
Benefits — $0 (0%)

What an average paycheck here is made of — base salary versus overtime, other pay (bonuses, allowances), and benefits. A large overtime or other-pay share means take-home often exceeds base salary.

Pay percentiles

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$31,214

$53,566

$76,256

$111,341

$132,437

The pay ladder for this department. Someone at the 90th percentile earns $132,437 — more than 90% of the department; the 10th percentile earns $31,214. The shaded band is the middle half of employees (25th–75th percentile).

Largest job titles

State Patrol Trooper

586 · $117,190

Dvs Exam & Inspector Specialist

182 · $49,270

Office & Administrative Specialist Int

103 · $53,385

Office & Administrative Specialist Senior

99 · $60,076

Customer Services Specialist Int

85 · $44,114

The most common job titles in this department by headcount, with the median total compensation for each. Click a title to see everyone who holds it.

Trend

Year over year

How this department's total payroll, headcount, and median pay changed across the 2 published years.

Year	Total payroll	Employees	Median pay
2024	$166.2M —	2,183 —	$72,953 —
2025	$194.2M ▲ 16.9%	2,398 ▲ 9.8%	$76,256 ▲ 4.5%

Record list

Employees

Page 4

William Waterkamp

State Program Administrative Supervisor Principal/Public Safety Department

2025 total comp

$101,078

Sub-department: Bca Business Shared Services
Base pay: $101,078
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $101,078
Hire date: 2010-03-17
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 18
Union / bargaining unit: Middle Management Association
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Ramsey

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: P07
Bargaining Unit Number: 216
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

At Public Safety Department, William Waterkamp serves as a State Program Administrative Supervisor Principal within Bca Business Shared Services. Their tenure dates to 2010, about 15 years, working full-time. Their 2025 pay totaled $101,078. Union affiliation: Middle Management Association.

Mark Larson

Dvs Program Supervisor/Public Safety Department

2025 total comp

$101,078

Sub-department: DVS Driver Services
Base pay: $101,078
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $101,078
Hire date: 1996-02-05
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 18
Union / bargaining unit: Middle Management Association
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Ramsey

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: P07
Bargaining Unit Number: 216
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Mark Larson holds the role of Dvs Program Supervisor at Public Safety Department within Dvs Driver Services. They have served since 1996 (about 29 years) as a full-time employee. In 2025, their total compensation was $101,078. Union affiliation: Middle Management Association.

Rita Strafelda

Accounting Supervisor Princ/Public Safety Department

2025 total comp

$101,078

Sub-department: FAS Management Team
Base pay: $101,078
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $101,078
Hire date: 1993-05-24
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 18
Union / bargaining unit: Middle Management Association
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Ramsey

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: P07
Bargaining Unit Number: 216
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Rita Strafelda works as a Accounting Supervisor Princ for Public Safety Department within Fas Management Team. Their tenure dates to 1993, about 32 years as a full-time employee. Rita earned $101,078 in 2025. They are represented by Middle Management Association.

Jeremy Dee

Planner Principal State/Public Safety Department

2025 total comp

$100,939

Sub-department: Office State Safety Oversight Su
Base pay: $97,734
Overtime: $3,205
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $100,939
Hire date: 2024-01-10
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 14
Union / bargaining unit: MN Assoc of Professional Empl
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Ramsey

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: P07
Bargaining Unit Number: 214
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

At Public Safety Department, Jeremy Dee serves as a Planner Principal State within Office State Safety Oversight Su. They have served since 2024 (about a year), working full-time. Their 2025 pay totaled $100,939. Union affiliation: MN Assoc of Professional Empl.

Suzanne Birkholz-Maniak

State Program Administrative Intermediate/Public Safety Department

2024 total comp

$100,739

Sub-department: Bca Business Shared Services
Base pay: $100,739
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $100,739
Hire date: 1990-03-14
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 7
Union / bargaining unit: MN Assoc of Professional Empl
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Ramsey

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2024: Yes
Agency Number: P07
Bargaining Unit Number: 214
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Classified
Classified Status: Classified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Suzanne Birkholz-Maniak is a State Program Administrative Intermediate at Public Safety Department within Bca Business Shared Services. They have served since 1990 (about 34 years), working full-time. 2024 total compensation came to $100,739. Union affiliation: MN Assoc of Professional Empl.

Benjamin Bauer

State Patrol Trooper/Public Safety Department

2025 total comp

$100,515

Sub-department: Detroit Lakes D 2900 Troopers
Base pay: $90,488
Overtime: $9,536
Other pay: $491
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $100,515
Hire date: 2021-02-22
Employment type: Full-Time
Pay grade: 8
Union / bargaining unit: MN Law Enforcement Assn
Pay basis: Hourly
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Work county: Becker

Source-specific fields

Active on June 30, 2025: Yes
Agency Number: P07
Bargaining Unit Number: 201
Branch: Executive
Branch Code: Executive
Classified Code: Unclassified
Classified Status: Unclassified
Compensation Frequency Code: Hourly

Benjamin Bauer is a State Patrol Trooper at Public Safety Department within Detroit Lakes D 2900 Troopers. Their tenure dates to 2021, about 4 years, working full-time. 2025 total compensation came to $100,515. Union affiliation: MN Law Enforcement Assn.