When Cha Vang’s college professor encouraged him to apply for an internship at the Metropolitan Transit Commission, he didn’t really know what he was getting into. But the organization’s name sounded important, he thought, so he decided to give it a shot. In 1987, he began working in the commission’s nascent security department. Turns out Vang was on the vanguard of what would become one of the state’s largest law enforcement agencies, the Metro Transit Police Department. It was, he said, a remarkable thing to be a part of over the course of his 35-year career. “It’s really been a privilege to be a part of the growth,” Vang said shortly before retiring in September 2022. “Everything was growing right in front of our eyes, which was pretty exciting.”

Vang came to the MTC, the precursor to Metro Transit, with no law enforcement experience and limited knowledge of what law enforcement involved. Working alongside him was a security manager and a small team of security officers. Among his first projects was coding intersections so the agency could start tracking police incidents. Even then, though, he could see that something bigger was on the horizon. And, he was assured that if he stuck around he could be a part of it. After his internship ended, Vang joined the department in a part-time role; in 1990, he went full-time.

After the state legislature acted to create the Metro Transit Police Department, Vang started to see the promised growth play out. He helped organize and train new department members, including the agency’s first part-time police officers, and got operations setup at the department’s first home on Minnehaha Avenue. Vang also played a key role in introducing the growing department to other Metro Transit staff, organizing outreach events at garages. Later, Vang helped the department move into its new headquarters at the Metro Transit Campus. Record entry and management remained a large part of his work throughout his career, and leaders often turned to Vang for his institutional knowledge.

At the time of his retirement, Vang was the longest-serving Metro Transit Police Department employee. In retirement, he planned to spend time volunteering, working on house projects, and enjoying his family, including his wife and four children. Vang said the police department had become “like a second family,” but that he looked forward to the next chapter. “I might not have known what I was getting into at the beginning,” he said. “But looking back I think I made the right decision.”