Data and reports information for law enforcement

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) reporting

Agencies that have or use an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), also known as a drone, are required by Minnesota law to report the following data by Jan. 15 regarding the prior calendar year:

The number of times a UAV was deployed without a search warrant
The date of each deployment
The authorized use for each deployment
The total annual cost of the agency's UAV program

Agencies should report the data to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) using the UAV Agency Data Collection Form.

Use this form to report uses prior to July 1, 2025: UAV Agency Data Collection Form.
Use this form to report uses on July 1, 2025 or later: UAV Agency Data Collection Form.

Agencies that did not have or use a UAV during the reporting year do not need to submit a report.

The BCA is required to compile and publish the data by June 15 of each year.

License Plate Reader reporting

Agencies are required by Minnesota law to report certain information to the BCA about their use of license plate reader (LPR) devices, including whether they are used in fixed locations.

Agencies should report the data to the BCA using the LPR Agency Data Collection Form. The information agencies provide will be posted on the BCA website.

When is a form required?

A form is required in three circumstances:

Your agency uses LPR devices: Submit form. No addresses needed.
Your agency uses LPR devices in fixed locations: Provide form and list addresses. This includes temporary fixed locations.
Your agency uses a technology other than LPR that has LPR capabilities: Provide form and list addresses if in fixed locations.

Please remember to submit an updated form if the circumstances (including locations) of your LPR use changes.

Predatory Offender Registry reporting

Agencies are required to help people who are on the Minnesota Predatory Offender Registry remain compliant with registry requirements and update offender files and forms as needed.

Information about registrants who are subject to public notification under Minnesota law is published on the Department of Corrections website.
Information about registrants who are not compliant with registry requirements is available on the Predatory Offender Registry – Non-compliant website.
Summary information about registrants is published on the BCA website.

Stolen and fleeing vehicle tracking device warrant reporting

Agencies are required by Minnesota law to report to the BCA the number of search warrants obtained to maintain a mobile tracking device on a stolen or fleeing vehicle for more than 12 hours. Agencies should complete this Stolen and Fleeing Vehicle Mobile Tracking Device Warrant Report for each instance and email it to the BCA at bca.crimestats@state.mn.us.

The BCA will publish summary information in its annual crime reports.

Law enforcement suicide data collection

Agencies are asked by the U.S. Department of Justice to provide information on officer suicides and attempted suicides for its Law Enforcement Suicide Data Collection (LESDC). The FBI publishes summary reports on its website.

Agencies can use this form to collect data, and then send the form to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) Uniform Crime Reporting Program at bca.crimestats@state.mn.us for entry into the LESDC.

Agencies with questions about the data collection can contact the FBI at LESDC@fbi.gov.

Supplemental forms

All Minnesota law enforcement agencies must submit supplemental data to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) using the Supplemental Reporting System (SRS) application. Data should only be submitted to the BCA using the SRS application, which is available via MyBCA.

The forms below are available to assist your agency with gathering required information. Agencies may keep paper copies of these reports for internal use, however, they should not be mailed, faxed or emailed to the BCA.

Use of chemical irritants reporting

Agencies that use chemical irritants at a residence are required to report certain information about it to affected parties. Minnesota Statute 626.745 went into effect on Aug. 1, 2026. The statute requires notification to:

The building owner
Any tenant in the building
Any applicable insurer
Any person retained to provide cleaning or other remediation services related to the deployment of chemical irritants, smoke screens or diversionary devices

The BCA has created this fillable form for agencies to complete and provide to the affected parties.

In addition to the required form, the BCA strongly encourages agencies to consider providing affected parties with copies of the Material Safety Data Sheet for each chemical used, along with contact information for the product manufacturer. The BCA does not maintain this data for all products, and product use varies by agency.

Agencies are not required to report chemical irritant use to the BCA.

Contact the BCA Service Desk with questions about submitting data for these reports.