MINNEAPOLIS — On Tuesday morning, the first set of identical twins graduated into the Minnesota State Patrol.
Sisters Jamie and Jessica Bird were among a class of 12 troopers who recently completed a 14-week training session at Fort Ripley.
"When we first got there, everyone was like, 'Um, we're never going to be able to tell you apart, ever,'” Jamie laughs.
"After a few weeks, some of the cadets were still trying to figure it out."
Jamie and Jessica get that a lot.
Not only are they twin sisters who look alike, growing up in Barnum, Minnesota near Duluth, they pretty much did everything together.
"We played every sport together, our main sport being hockey. Had every job together. Growing up in a small town, there wasn't many job opportunities, so whatever job she had, I also had,” Jessica says.
Both sisters played hockey at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, and both of them transferred to St. Cloud State University to finish their degrees.
And both decided at the same time to join the Minnesota State Patrol.
“In high school we wanted to be nurses. We took a nursing class and realized it wasn’t for us. Our aunt, who was a police officer at the time, asked if we wanted to do a couple of ride-a-longs, and we were like ‘Oh yeah, for sure.’ And that’s how we really got interested in law enforcement,” Jessica says.
Both of their parents saw this decision coming.
Rick and Sandi Bird say their daughters always showed an interest in helping people, and once one of the girls showed an interest in something, the other one had to get involved.
"When one did it, the other one wanted to beat her, so they were always in competition,” Rick Bird laughs.
The sisters received their badges during a graduation ceremony Tuesday morning at the University of Minnesota.
Their official start date with the Minnesota State Patrol is Tuesday, May 31, and both sisters have been assigned to the same station in Montevideo.
"So, we'll be in the same station,” Jamie says.
“Yep, partners, partners in crime,” Jessica adds. “Wouldn’t want to do it with anyone else.”
Jamie and Jessica say they'll start out working different shifts, but they're hoping to have similar schedules someday down the road.
So, if you're driving down the road and get pulled over by two of the same person, don't be alarmed, it's just the Minnesota State Patrol's first set of identical twins keeping the roads safe.
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