FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. — Editor's note: The video above first aired on Sept. 6, 2022.
The city of Falcon Heights is looking for a new law enforcement partner to cover the community of 5,000 after severing its relationship with the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office.
Official letters exchanged by the two parties say termination of the law enforcement contract takes effect at the end of 2023. Sheriff Bob Fletcher called it a "mutual decision" that has been under consideration since September of 2020. That's when Fletcher first raised concerns about Falcon Heights being on an island of sorts, not bordered by any other community served by Ramsey County patrol deputies.
“Our primary concern with the relationship has always been the safety of the people living in the city and the risk to our deputies,” Fletcher wrote. “Falcon Heights is not contiguous with the other communities that contract with us for law enforcement services. As a result, deputies sometimes travel long distances—at high speeds with lights and sirens activated—when responding to emergencies."
Falcon Heights first contracted with Ramsey County for law enforcement coverage in 2017, when the city dropped its contract with neighboring St. Anthony. The action followed the shooting death of Philando Castillo by St. Anthony officer Jeronimo Yanez during a traffic stop.
Yanez was found not guilty by a Ramsey County jury.
The contract with Falcon Heights required the sheriff's office to provide patrol coverage, enforcement actions, crime prevention, investigations and other services.
This is not the first time this issue has surfaced. At a city council meeting back in 2020 Fletcher recommended several options for protecting the residents of Falcon Heights during discussions about ending the partnership. Among them:
- Contract with the City of Saint Paul or the City of Roseville
- Contract with the Minnesota State Fair Police Department
- Reestablish a contract with the City of Saint Anthony
- Form your own police department
- Explore a hybrid service delivery model
"We recognize that many details will need to be finalized to make this request a reality in a mutually agreeable manner for both agencies in the coming months," wrote Falcon Heights City Administrator Jack Linehan in a letter to Sheriff Fletcher. "Please accept this as the nine calendar months notice requirement prior to the end of the term."
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