Last week the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) opened a new processing facility and a field office in St. Cloud to help meet the needs of law enforcement agencies in the area.

The BCA’s processing facility’s services are limited to evidence drop off and pick-up, while all evidence testing will continue in the labs in St. Paul and Bemidji.

The field office, staffed by two special agents, will mostly work on predatory crimes such as internet crimes against children, human trafficking, and predatory offender cases.

St. Cloud Police Chief Blair Anderson said, "This partnership between the St. Cloud Police Department and the BCA is an example of our agency’s dedication to strengthening the central Minnesota law enforcement community".