The expansive halls of the Minnesota State Capitol building are eerily quiet as Lori Hodapp eases herself onto a bench outside the House Chambers.
Just days prior to the start of Minnesota’s 2026 legislative session, there are no demonstrations occurring in the rotunda. No state legislators are meeting up with constituents nearby to discuss policy proposals. Only a small tour group makes its way past, with the guide softly explaining the history behind the capitol and the elected officials who have worked here.
But Hodapp, the chief sergeant at arms for the Minnesota House of Representatives for three and a half years, knows from experience that this is the quiet before the storm. A tsunami of legislative activity is fast approaching.
On Feb. 17, elected officials from throughout Minnesota will converge on the capitol to begin a three-month session, and Hodapp’s team is preparing to do what’s necessary to keep the gears of democracy moving forward.
The House Sergeant at Arms Office is responsible for a long list of important responsibilities — enforcing decorum guidelines, conducting educational programming, issuing parking permits, providing facility management, ordering supplies, among other tasks. But security is a huge part of the team’s job, and the 2026 session will test newly adopted processes to keep elected officials, staff and the visiting public safe.
“I’m not here to work within the politics,” she says of her nonpartisan role. “I’m here to ensure the politics can work. My role is to ensure that the voices of everyone can be heard and heard safely, not to have an opinion about who’s right or wrong.”
This will be the first session since the assassinations of State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and the attempted assassinations of State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette. The session also kicks off amid an ongoing federal immigration enforcement surge in the state.
This year, members of the House will begin their work in an evenly divided chamber — 67 Democrats and 67 Republicans — likely requiring bipartisan cooperation to advance any meaningful legislation.
Hodapp, a Chaska resident, understands that this ideological tug-of-war comes at a time when much of the country appears politically divided.
Gov. Tim Walz recently issued an executive order to install scanners at the Minnesota Capitol to screen for weapons visitors may be carrying. Those screening stations will be operational on the first day of session, according to state officials.
In the meantime, Hodapp’s team is meeting with legislators and staff members to outline efforts being made to keep everyone safe and reduce anxiety for all involved in the democratic process.
“We get to know every single House member,” Hodapp explains. “It’s important to know what their concerns are and hear about things that they may be experiencing. We want to know if they are feeling increased threats, or if they have thoughts about what we can do better.”
It’s clear to all involved that things needed to change in light of current circumstances, Hodapp says.
“There’s been a cultural shift to rhetoric, divisiveness and violence,” Hodapp says. “That has increased our role in threat assessment and implementing strategies that address any vulnerabilities.”
Career Path
Born and raised in central Minnesota, Hodapp graduated from Le Sueur High School and headed to St. Cloud State University to pursue a degree in political science, with a minor in Russian language. Hodapp later shifted her focus to pre-law, thinking she might want to become an attorney.
But during the course of her studies, Hodapp decided to major in criminal justice. By the time she graduated, Hodapp was a bit burned out from school and had drained her bank account, so she was hesitant to start law school.
Her father suggested that Hodapp take a break from school, get a job in law enforcement and attend law school after saving some money.
“He pushed me to the State Patrol,” Hodapp recalls. “He felt that they were the crème de la crème of law enforcement.”
She mentioned to her father that the State Patrol didn’t hire many women.
“That’s why you need to apply,” she recalls him telling her. “You need to break barriers.”
Sure enough, she did. Hodapp became one of approximately 10 women out of about 600 state troopers at that time.
“It became such a great career for me,” she says. “I never left. I really developed a huge respect for the agency, their core values, their structure and their professionalism.”
Throughout her 33 years on the force, Hodapp was promoted to various roles within the State Patrol, including district and field commander, then statewide training and development commander.
“That training role was rewarding because I could embrace needed change and have an impact,” Hodapp explains. “I like progression, and the State Patrol really gave me an opportunity to lead some change.”
After retiring in 2016, Hodapp went on to serve with the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport Police for five years, along with a part-time jobs as instructor with the Minnesota Safety Council and as a certified fitness trainer.
In 2022, Hodapp started working as deputy chief sergeant at arms of the Minnesota House. She was elected by the House membership to the role of chief sergeant at arms in November 2022.
Her experience with change management has been helpful as the political landscape shifted.
“Since I got here, the threat assessment and risk management has continued to grow,” she says. “We take that part of our job extremely seriously. Throughout my career, I’ve been put in positions where the change was imminently needed. During my time here, change has come faster and faster.”
To mitigate security threats at the capitol, Hodapp’s office works closely with the State Patrol, which is the lead law enforcement entity on the capitol grounds. They work hand-in-hand to keep House business moving ahead.
The People’s House
As the 2026 session gets underway, Hodapp and her team know there are long and stressful days ahead. Hodapp says she will essentially be on call 24/7 through May, and she’s constantly concerned about the safety of every legislator and staff member at the capitol.
The House Sergeant at Arms team — which numbers 13 when the legislature is not in session but ramps up to more than 50 during session — coordinates security for the House chamber, committee rooms and office buildings.
“We bring in very experienced security professionals,” Hodapp explains. “And we bring in 100 high school pages for an in-house educational program, 18 employed pages and approximately 35 to 40 college interns … that all falls under the auspices of the sergeant’s office.”
When legislators leave the capitol complex, the Minnesota State Patrol has developed a comprehensive “security matrix” providing crucial safety and security guidance, she notes.
“We want our reps safe no matter where they are — whether it’s at home, whether it’s here at the complex, whether it’s in the chamber,” Hodapp says. “We want to ensure that we are monitoring their safety in the best way we can and ensure that they accomplish the very important work they do.”
The need for heightened security efforts also extends to the visiting public, Hodapp says.
“This is the house for the people,” Hodapp says. “You want people to participate in their political system. You want people to come here, you want people to be engaged and you want people’s voices to be heard.”
But, she admits, her team needs to be fully prepared when those with opposing views show up in the same space.
“We get massive amounts of people here with differing ideology and different opinions,” Hodapp says. “That can present conflict.”
Despite the obvious stress that the 2026 legislative session brings, Hodapp says she feels good about the role she and her team play every day. She adds that her desire to serve her fellow Minnesotans remains strong.
“Over the course of a career, like other law enforcement professionals, we witness trauma, violence, crisis and victimization that most never see,” she says. “Yet at the core of this law enforcement profession lies something powerful — protection, a drive for justice and the pursuit of stabilization. It’s a genuine calling to solve problems … and to be the person who shows up when others won’t, can’t or choose not to see. And in this position of chief sergeant at arms, it’s a calling to assist in the protection of democracy.”
