Falcon Heights considers the future of policing in the city
A memorial bench outside J.J. Hill Montessori Magnet School in St. Paul on April 17, 2021 honors Philando Castile, who worked at the school.
Kathryn Styer Martinez | MPR News 2021The city of Falcon Heights and St. Anthony Village are coming together for a workshop to consider a policing partnership Thursday night.
Following the police killing of Philando Castille in 2016, Falcon Heights terminated its police contract with St. Anthony Village. Falcon Heights does not have their own police department and since then has been contracting with the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office.
That partnership will be coming to an end this year. And now Falcon Heights is looking for a long-term policing solution.
Helping to make that decision is the Center for Values-Based Initiatives. It came out with a more than 100 page report to help guide the city through their policing needs.
Create a More Connected Minnesota
MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.
Former Ramsey County Sheriff Matt Bostrom is the president of that organization and led the city through that work. He joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer.
Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.
Subscribe to the Minnesota Now podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
We attempt to make transcripts for Minnesota Now available the next business day after a broadcast. When ready they will appear here.
Audio transcript
CATHY WURZER: Tonight the city of Falcon Heights and St. Anthony Village will come together for a workshop to consider a policing partnership. Following the police killing of Philando Castile in 2016, Falcon Heights terminated their police contract with St. Anthony Village. Falcon Heights does not have their own police department, and since then has been contracting with the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office.
Now, that partnership will be coming to an end this year, and now Falcon Heights is looking for a long-term policing solution. Helping them to make that decision is the Center for Values-Based Initiatives. They came out with a more than 100-page report to help guide the city through their policing needs. Former Ramsey County Sheriff Matt Bostrom is the president of that organization and has led the city through the work. He's on the phone right now. Always a pleasure, welcome.
MATT BOSTROM: Thank you very much. Appreciate the opportunity to spend some time with you this afternoon.
CATHY WURZER: I appreciate your time too. Well, it seems like you've been doing a whole lot of work here. Tell us a little bit about the work you've been doing with Falcon Heights.
MATT BOSTROM: Well, this goes back to last fall. Well, last fall, I guess it's fall of 2022 to be accurate. This is five, six years after the events involving Philando Castile, and there was, as you might remember, the listeners might remember that there was quite a few public meetings, ultimately several reports came out of that, but there were two particular areas that the city wanted to revisit.
One was did the task force achieve some of the goals recommended by the task force, and second are the policing services that they're receiving consistent with their statement of values-- of community values? And so my task was to go in and go through those just to check and see how much work had been completed and if they were satisfied with that work, but also to throw the net out again to the community.
And to spend some time with them and discuss these things and then as a result of that, put together a report for which the city council and the mayor could use to decide how they would best represent the community there as they select a policing service provider.
CATHY WURZER: It sounds like that that's probably going to be happening here in terms of both entities entering into a contract. But I'm curious, you know, what did you hear from folks in Falcon Heights when it comes to-- what are they looking for in a police response?
MATT BOSTROM: Well, what I started with was just to find out where they were with their values. And we came at that a couple different ways. One was we did a series of focus groups, and these are folks from the community that are interested, not necessarily favorable or unfavorable toward the police, they're just really committed to safety, overall safety in Falcon Heights.
And so through a series of focus groups, we were able to come up with what's really at the core, what are the types of things that generate police community trust? And I'll summarize it this way that their answers can be reflected in honesty, leadership, respect, and service. And when police officers exhibit those behaviors that what happens then is that there's this deep trust that is built between the community and the police officers. And then I go a little bit further.
But that's, in a nutshell, by getting the values, that's like getting a-- I look at it this way as if I'm looking at my compass. And if you saw my hand right now, I'd pretend I'd have one in my hand, but it shows you which way north is. All the things that they're doing and policing services should point to honesty, leadership, respect, and service.
CATHY WURZER: I mentioned in the intro that Falcon Heights doesn't have a police department at this point, but could they go back to doing something like that? Could they create their own police department?
MATT BOSTROM: I'm sorry. Yes, they certainly could. But here's one of the things that is to consider is that Falcon Heights is approximately 5,500 people. It's a wonderful community. Very, very low crime. Maybe just a few police calls to 911 or to the non-emergency number per day for police response. And they want-- one, that's a great community, but second, they want to make sure that they're policing it so that it stays that way. That you have that type of quality of life in that community.
So what's the best way to do that? Could they start their own police department? Yes. You understand what the times and you've done reports on this too that recruitment and policing, and then starting an agency from scratch, particularly a community that is as quiet and safe as Falcon Heights, it would be challenging to staff that for several reasons.
CATHY WURZER: And that's why, of course, they went with-- after the situation with Philando Castile, they went with the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office, but is the sheriff's office not a sustainable option at this point?
MATT BOSTROM: I think you'd have to talk to the city about that. I think what they're more working on is trying to balance affordability and a service provider who is maybe geographically-- you'd say, well, Falcon Heights is in Ramsey County, but the patrol section for Ramsey County really runs across the northern band of the county.
And so there's some separation between where they customarily provide policing services and then for them to respond in Falcon Heights. I think that could be one of the challenges for Falcon Heights, as well as for the sheriff's office. But on the other hand, communities like Roseville are nearby next door, St. Paul is nearby next door as a matter of fact, and so is Lauderdale.
And Lauderdale is currently policed by the city of Falcon Heights and has been for many, many years and been very satisfied with that service. And so you'd have to talk to the folks in Falcon Heights, but my belief is they wanted to just really reach out to the communities around them and see if there might be a good fit.
CATHY WURZER: It sounds as though, and maybe you don't can't answer this, that the St. Anthony Police Department since the death of Philando Castile has enacted a number of reforms that appear to be sitting well with Falcon Heights. Does that make sense?
MATT BOSTROM: That sounds perfectly reasonable. I don't have details on that. I wish I could comment on that. I can go deep with Falcon Heights, as you mentioned, it was a multi-page report, but I don't feel qualified to talk about that.
What I do know is that the elected officials and the city administrator in Falcon Heights really do resonate with the values of what it takes to have a trustworthy police department and making sure that they adhere to the community values, and as well as the guiding principles for implementing policing recommendations that were brought about as a result of the Philando Castile task force work.
CATHY WURZER: Sounds like you did a lot of work as I mentioned in the intro. Thank you so much for outlining some of it for us.
MATT BOSTROM: Welcome. Very well.
CATHY WURZER: Matt Bostrom is the president of the Center for Values-Based Initiatives. He's a former Ramsey County Sheriff.
Now, that partnership will be coming to an end this year, and now Falcon Heights is looking for a long-term policing solution. Helping them to make that decision is the Center for Values-Based Initiatives. They came out with a more than 100-page report to help guide the city through their policing needs. Former Ramsey County Sheriff Matt Bostrom is the president of that organization and has led the city through the work. He's on the phone right now. Always a pleasure, welcome.
MATT BOSTROM: Thank you very much. Appreciate the opportunity to spend some time with you this afternoon.
CATHY WURZER: I appreciate your time too. Well, it seems like you've been doing a whole lot of work here. Tell us a little bit about the work you've been doing with Falcon Heights.
MATT BOSTROM: Well, this goes back to last fall. Well, last fall, I guess it's fall of 2022 to be accurate. This is five, six years after the events involving Philando Castile, and there was, as you might remember, the listeners might remember that there was quite a few public meetings, ultimately several reports came out of that, but there were two particular areas that the city wanted to revisit.
One was did the task force achieve some of the goals recommended by the task force, and second are the policing services that they're receiving consistent with their statement of values-- of community values? And so my task was to go in and go through those just to check and see how much work had been completed and if they were satisfied with that work, but also to throw the net out again to the community.
And to spend some time with them and discuss these things and then as a result of that, put together a report for which the city council and the mayor could use to decide how they would best represent the community there as they select a policing service provider.
CATHY WURZER: It sounds like that that's probably going to be happening here in terms of both entities entering into a contract. But I'm curious, you know, what did you hear from folks in Falcon Heights when it comes to-- what are they looking for in a police response?
MATT BOSTROM: Well, what I started with was just to find out where they were with their values. And we came at that a couple different ways. One was we did a series of focus groups, and these are folks from the community that are interested, not necessarily favorable or unfavorable toward the police, they're just really committed to safety, overall safety in Falcon Heights.
And so through a series of focus groups, we were able to come up with what's really at the core, what are the types of things that generate police community trust? And I'll summarize it this way that their answers can be reflected in honesty, leadership, respect, and service. And when police officers exhibit those behaviors that what happens then is that there's this deep trust that is built between the community and the police officers. And then I go a little bit further.
But that's, in a nutshell, by getting the values, that's like getting a-- I look at it this way as if I'm looking at my compass. And if you saw my hand right now, I'd pretend I'd have one in my hand, but it shows you which way north is. All the things that they're doing and policing services should point to honesty, leadership, respect, and service.
CATHY WURZER: I mentioned in the intro that Falcon Heights doesn't have a police department at this point, but could they go back to doing something like that? Could they create their own police department?
MATT BOSTROM: I'm sorry. Yes, they certainly could. But here's one of the things that is to consider is that Falcon Heights is approximately 5,500 people. It's a wonderful community. Very, very low crime. Maybe just a few police calls to 911 or to the non-emergency number per day for police response. And they want-- one, that's a great community, but second, they want to make sure that they're policing it so that it stays that way. That you have that type of quality of life in that community.
So what's the best way to do that? Could they start their own police department? Yes. You understand what the times and you've done reports on this too that recruitment and policing, and then starting an agency from scratch, particularly a community that is as quiet and safe as Falcon Heights, it would be challenging to staff that for several reasons.
CATHY WURZER: And that's why, of course, they went with-- after the situation with Philando Castile, they went with the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office, but is the sheriff's office not a sustainable option at this point?
MATT BOSTROM: I think you'd have to talk to the city about that. I think what they're more working on is trying to balance affordability and a service provider who is maybe geographically-- you'd say, well, Falcon Heights is in Ramsey County, but the patrol section for Ramsey County really runs across the northern band of the county.
And so there's some separation between where they customarily provide policing services and then for them to respond in Falcon Heights. I think that could be one of the challenges for Falcon Heights, as well as for the sheriff's office. But on the other hand, communities like Roseville are nearby next door, St. Paul is nearby next door as a matter of fact, and so is Lauderdale.
And Lauderdale is currently policed by the city of Falcon Heights and has been for many, many years and been very satisfied with that service. And so you'd have to talk to the folks in Falcon Heights, but my belief is they wanted to just really reach out to the communities around them and see if there might be a good fit.
CATHY WURZER: It sounds as though, and maybe you don't can't answer this, that the St. Anthony Police Department since the death of Philando Castile has enacted a number of reforms that appear to be sitting well with Falcon Heights. Does that make sense?
MATT BOSTROM: That sounds perfectly reasonable. I don't have details on that. I wish I could comment on that. I can go deep with Falcon Heights, as you mentioned, it was a multi-page report, but I don't feel qualified to talk about that.
What I do know is that the elected officials and the city administrator in Falcon Heights really do resonate with the values of what it takes to have a trustworthy police department and making sure that they adhere to the community values, and as well as the guiding principles for implementing policing recommendations that were brought about as a result of the Philando Castile task force work.
CATHY WURZER: Sounds like you did a lot of work as I mentioned in the intro. Thank you so much for outlining some of it for us.
MATT BOSTROM: Welcome. Very well.
CATHY WURZER: Matt Bostrom is the president of the Center for Values-Based Initiatives. He's a former Ramsey County Sheriff.
Download transcript (PDF)
Transcription services provided by 3Play Media.