BISMARCK – Gov. Doug Burgum and Gov.-elect Kelly Armstrong have appointed Lt. Daniel Haugen to serve as interim superintendent of the North Dakota Highway Patrol, according to news releases.

Col. Brandon Solberg is retiring from law enforcement after nearly six and a half years as Highway Patrol superintendent.

Haugen has 24 years of experience in the Highway Patrol. He has served as field commander for the southwest region since May 2023, overseeing highway safety and criminal investigations on state property in a 17-county area. He previously served as the Highway Patrol’s training director for nearly nine years at the Law Enforcement Training Academy in Bismarck, overseeing the training of about 800 peace officers. His Highway Patrol career began as a trooper in the northwest region from 2000 to 2008.

Haugen earned an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Bismarck State College and a certificate in police management in 2009 from Northwestern University’s Center for Public Safety School of Police Staff & Command. He served four years in the U.S. Marine Corps, including as a military police officer in Okinawa, Japan and Camp Pendleton, California. Born and raised in Langdon, he resides in Bismarck with his wife, Tara, and their three children.

Solberg has accepted another position in state government as director of the Facility Management Division in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).