Ask a Trooper by Troy Christianson

Question: Would you tell me the significance of the color maroon for the Minnesota State Patrol, please? I travel around all over and never saw another agency with this as their primary color for uniform or squad car.

Answer: The Minnesota State Patrol was created in 1929. The original trooper uniform was a long gray coat, riding boots, grey knee-high pants and eight-corner hat. The uniform was replaced in 1943 by maroon and gold uniforms to honor the University of Minnesota football national championship team. (The Golden Gophers were national football champions 1904, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1940, 1941 and 1960.)

In 1958, the State Patrol adopted maroon as the standard squad color. Prior to that, a majority of the squad cars had been black, although some were various colors.

You can avoid a ticket — and a crash — if you simply buckle up, drive at safe speeds, pay attention and always drive sober.  Help us drive Minnesota toward zero deaths.

If you have any questions concerning traffic related laws or issues in Minnesota, send your questions to Sgt. Troy Christianson, Minnesota State Patrol, at 2900 48th St. NW, Rochester, MN 55901-5848; or reach him at Troy.Christianson@state.mn.us.

Troy Christianson is a sergeant with the Minnesota State Patrol.