The Minnesota POLD initiative was started in February 2014 by three law enforcement agencies and a Level I Trauma Center with input from city attorneys, city managers, and local elected officials. As of 2023, 32 agencies across Minnesota have participated in the Minnesota POLD initiative. The Minnesota POLD initiative was partly based on experiences in several other states (California, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Washington). At participating agencies, agents are trained to systematically ask about and record POLD data in their incident reports.
The Minnesota POLD initiative is innovative in the following ways:
- POLD data is collected at the time of the incident rather than during a court process, which could occur months later. This means the data are available more quickly, allowing for more timely responses.
- POLD information is collected for alcohol-impaired driving incidents and other alcohol-involved incidents, including assaults and medical incidents.
- The Minnesota POLD initiative uses an online tool developed by law enforcement leaders to easily record and monitor POLD data across jurisdictions.
- The POLD database is designed to be accessible from any computer, provide data across enforcement jurisdictions, and simplify data analysis.