Saint Paul -- Governor Tim Pawlenty today announced the appointment of Sara Purvis Becker and the reappointment of John Phillips, Sheriff Dennis Trandem and Janice Unstad to the Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST Board). All four are appointed to four-year terms that expire on January 5, 2009.

Becker, of Vernon Center, is a custody officer with the Blue Earth County Jail in Mankato and a member of the Vernon Center City Council. Becker replaces Paul Heyl as a representative of elected city officials from a city outside the seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area with a population of less than 5,000.

Phillips, of Alexandria, is vice president and the administrator in charge of law enforcement programs, facilities, and security at Alexandria Technical College. He is also a special investigator with the Background Investigation Contract Service of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Washington DC. Phillips, who has been a member of the POST Board since 1997, is reappointed as a representative of administrators at a Minnesota college or university that offer professional peace officer education programs.

Trandem, of Bagley, is the sheriff of Clearwater County. He was first elected to the position in 1990, was a deputy Clearwater County sheriff from 1984 through 1990, and has 30 years of law enforcement experience in Minnesota. Trandem, who has been a member of the POST Board since 2001, is reappointed as a representative of county sheriffs.

Unstad, of Minneapolis, is the director of corporate and foundation relations with the University of Minnesota Foundation. She is also a board member of CornerHouse Child Abuse Evaluation Center and a member of the Minnesota Chapter of the National Latino Peace Officer Association. Unstad, who has been a member of the POST Board since 1992, is reappointed as a public member.

The Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training establishes minimum qualifications and standards of conduct and regulates professional peace officer education and continuing education programs. The board consists of 15 members, including 14 appointed by the Governor.