Falcon Heights council votes to renew contract with St. Anthony PD

FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. (FOX 9) - After the partnership was dissolved following the shooting of Philando Castile in 2016, the Falcon Heights City Council voted Wednesday to finalize a contract to have St. Anthony Village handle policing services in the city.

Background

Since 2017, the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office has handled policing in Falcon Heights following the death of Philando Castile.

Castile was killed during a traffic stop by St. Anthony Police Officer Jeronimo Yanez. The case received national attention and sparked public outcry after a video recorded of the shooting by Castile's girlfriend went viral.

Yanez was charged with manslaughter but ultimately found not guilty in the shooting.

After years of partnership, the sheriff's office and Falcon Heights agreed they should search for a "better long-term fit" for policing in the city.

Ultimately, the city turned to St. Anthony Village to renew its former partnership.

What's new?

The Falcon Heights council voted Wednesday to direct staff to move forward with final negotiations on a new contract with St. Anthony police.

The city anticipates that St. Anthony police will resume coverage of Falcon Heights starting March 2025.

City Administrator Jack Linehan says the sheriff's office, which was set to end coverage at the end of 2024, agreed to provide coverage through February 2025. Linehan says they searched for other partners but were unable to find one. Instead they turned back to the former partnership with St. Anthony Village, that had been in place about 20 years prior to Castile's death.

Initially, for the remainder of 2025, St. Anthony will provide partial coverage: Eight hours of patrol coverage daily and 24/7 call response.