MEET JOHN
Minnesota Deserves Better.
John Nagel is a natural leader whose integrity and commitment to keeping Minnesota safe is exemplified by his three decades of honorable service in the Minnesota State Patrol. He has lived in Saint Louis Park for 57 years, residing today in the house his grandfather built.
Born to a hardworking middle-class family, John learned the value of compassion, hard work, faith, and service at a young age. Public safety runs in the family blood. His grandfather, a volunteer firefighter in neighboring Golden Valley, helped nurture John’s nascent passion for serving his community by bringing him to the fire station when he was a child.
His introduction to the Saint Louis Park Police Department came as a ride-along while he pursued his Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. He interned with the Edina Police during his senior year and continued to follow his calling to serve his community when he was accepted into the Minnesota State Patrol Academy in 1981.
As a State Trooper, he was first tasked with working the roads and highways in Saint Louis Park and Hennepin County. He also served as a safety consultant for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Furthering his education was also important to John as he expanded his horizons with courses taught by the FBI and the U.S. Secret Service. Recognized as a trusted officer, he was assigned to the Governor’s security detail.
His traffic safety education also paid off. He was promoted to the rank of Sergeant at the State Patrol Training Academy where he oversaw the Safety Education Program and contributed to school safety as a resource to every school in Hennepin, Scott, Isanti, and Anoka counties. He helped develop a class for Minnesotans for Safe Driving in order to instruct police officers, firefighters, and police chaplains.
His service did not go unnoticed. He earned the Minnesota State Patrol’s Meritorious Service award, Employee of the Year award, and several community service awards for selfless acts such as visiting the children at the University of Minnesota's Children’s Cancer Ward, the Shriner’s Home for Children, and Saint Joe’s Home for Children.
John demonstrated that he’s not afraid to jump beyond his comfort zone. He saved a suicidal individual by climbing onto a bridge over Interstate 94 and rescuing someone precariously clinging to a freeway sign over traffic. He restrained and transported her to a crisis facility. While attending a Scott County Law Enforcement meeting with the Chiefs of Police, a call came out that a local bank was being robbed. John joined in the pursuit and was the one who instituted a pit maneuver which ended the chase and the driver was apprehended.
After a 30-year career with the Minnesota State Patrol, John retired in 2011 with the rank of Field Lieutenant. Far from remaining idle during his retirement, he was not finished giving back to his community. He continues to work as an educator. He volunteered as a Minnesota DNR Youth Firearm Instructor, teaching gun safety, wilderness survival skills and respect for the environment, allowing Minnesota youth to receive a license to hunt with their families. John is also a teacher of defensive driving courses, which he continues to do to this day. He also served as a criminal justice chair and taught college classes in terrorism and world governments. John was also part of the Minnesota Twins security team.
John is an avid outdoor enthusiast who enjoys the wondrous local parks in the district. He enjoys native species gardening to increase the local population of honeybees, monarchs, and other native pollinators.
Lt. Nagel is running first and foremost because safeguarding the community runs in his blood and he’s alarmed by the decline of Saint Louis Park and the surrounding communities. The quality of the state’s education system has atrophied while parental rights have been stifled. Children are increasingly unable to meet the minimum standards in reading and math.
Inflation and taxation are suffocating businesses and families. Residents are fleeing the state to seek better job opportunities and lower taxes. The rampant crime in neighboring Minneapolis continues to spill over into Saint Louis Park where carjackings and robberies have become commonplace. Meanwhile, our police and fire departments are understaffed and unsupported.
More than 30 police departments in Minnesota have been shuttered in recent years. County Sheriffs are having to cover city police departments’ calls for service. Sheriffs are also telling their officers they need to triage and assist only the life-threatening calls. The result is Minnesota is less safe today than five years ago. Simply put, we’re on the wrong track and I intend to lead our state and our city’s comeback.
John is a man faithful to God and his country. He married Connie, the love of his life, in 1988. He is a devoted husband and father of two whom he raised with the same morally based work ethic he was taught, centering on faith, family, and leadership. John spent a lifetime in Saint Louis Park making tough decisions in leadership roles and has demonstrated the kind of work and personal ethics that would benefit the people of Minnesota and the constituents of House District 46A, who he hopes to serve.
