Governor Tim Pawlenty today announced the appointment of Sheriff Mark LeTexier, and the reappointment of Timothy Bildsoe, Tracey Martin, and Sheriff Kent Wilkening to the Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST Board).

Bildsoe, of Plymouth, is an underwriter with The Hartford Companies in Eden Prairie and a member of the Plymouth City Council. He was the chief of the Plymouth Police Reserve from 1993 to 1997, and has served on a number of local commissions, including the Northwest Cable Communications Commission, Plymouth Planning Commission, and Plymouth Housing and Redevelopment Commission. Bildsoe, who has been a member of the POST Board since 2003, is reappointed as a public member to a term that expires on January 3, 2011.

LeTexier, of Crookston, is the Polk County Sheriff, and Polk County Emergency Management Director, positions he has held since 2002. He was a deputy Polk County Sheriff from 1986 to 2002, and served in the United States Marine Corps from 1977 to 1983. LeTexier is a member of the National Sheriff’s Association, Minnesota Sheriff’s Association, and TRIAD in Crookston and East Grand Forks. LeTexier replaces former Clearwater County Sheriff Dennis Trandem, who did not seek re-election in 2006, as a member of the POST Board representing county sheriffs. He will complete a four-year term that expires on January 5, 2009.

Martin, of Brooklyn Park, is a sergeant investigator in the internal affairs unit of the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office. She has been a deputy Hennepin County Sheriff since 1996, and has previously held positions in the Court Security and Human Resources Divisions. She is also a Brooklyn Area and Farview Park basketball coach. Martin, who has been a member of the POST Board since 2003, is reappointed as a representative of municipal peace officers to a term that expires on January 3, 2011.

Wilkening, of Fulda, is the Nobles County Sheriff, a position he has held since 1999. He was a deputy Nobles County Sheriff from 1987 through 1998, chief of police for the city of Cottonwood from 1985 to 1987, and a patrolman for the city of Appleton from 1983 to 1985. He also served as a county sheriff’s representative to the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission from 2000 to 2002. Wilkening, who was appointed to fill an unscheduled vacancy on the POST Board in 2005, is appointed to a four-year term that expires on January 3, 2011.

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.