New State Patrol chief opens up about adding women to ranks and fretting over having teen driver at home

Growing the ranks of women working for the State Patrol has been a top priority in recent years for Col. Christina Bogojevic, so it seemed only fitting that among her first public obligations as the permanent head of the agency was congratulating a contingent taking a giant step forward in helping make Minnesota's roads safer.

Bogojevic recently shed the interim tag as the patrol's chief she had been wearing since April 2, when Col. Matt Langer stepped down to take a position with the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

Fresh off grabbing the agency's top rung after two decades of climbing through the ranks, the 48-year-old Bogojevic spoke last week during an interview with the Star Tribune about her determination to see that the patrol — inspired by a national mission — close in on having 30% of its troopers and support staff be women by 2030.

Her hopes of reaching that goal remain high despite her seeing just two women among the 35 cadets she swore in at the University of Minnesota's Ted Mann Concert Hall during the graduation ceremony on April 19 for the patrol's 68th and 69th training academies.

Bogojevic said Minnesota is half female, and the patrol wants to "mirror what the community is. ... Right now we are sitting right around 8%, but our efforts have not slowed."

She said the patrol's campaign is reaching out wherever it can — high school state tournaments and information sessions all across the state, for example — to see that percentage rapidly rise in the barely 5½ years remaining before the next decade arrives.

"If we don't hit that goal, we will continue to work on it," she said.

Just as many law enforcement agencies and other government bodies seek to better reflect the people they serve by pursuing diversity in their ranks in ethnicity, gender and other categories, Bogojevic sees boosting female representation in the patrol as more than just chasing a number.

"Females sometimes address situations differently," she said. "We have a different tone. We can de-escalate a situation differently. ... I can't pinpoint it. It's just different."

Bogojevic, who joins Col. Anne Beers as the only women to lead the patrol, said she has never been treated as anything less than an equal for being a woman throughout her 21 years serving the state.

"I've been extremely lucky to be supported by both male and female coworkers," she said.

And the same goes, she said, during her interactions with the public.

"I don't feel like I've ever been judged by being a female [and have] never had negative interactions while being on the road," Bogojevic said.

Home life: husband is a trooper

The chief is married to state trooper Phillip Bogojevic, who is posted out of the Rochester District. They are raising three sons — ages 17, 9 and 6 — at their home strategically positioned between his base and hers in St. Paul.

She doesn't believe their boys are being raised any differently because they have law enforcers as parents.

"We raise them to be respectful of everyone they come across," she said.

Their teenager is now driving, and Colonel Bogojevic said "he is doing very well, but it was extremely frightening for me as we moved into that stage. I've seen what happens on the roadway."

The colonel did reveal that her son has crossed the line legally once, when he took the front license plate off his vehicle and covered the grille in wrapping paper. He got pulled over and given a warning.

"I have been a passenger with him many times," she said. "I try to remain calm and offer suggestions for how he can become a better driver."