Forest Lake appears to buck trend of closing police departments

In Morristown, Minn., population 1,000, angry residents want to reverse a decision to close their one-person police department. In Forest Lake, a city 20 times larger, a collective outcry from thousands of residents forced city leaders to reconsider firing police to save money.

"They just feel that indebtedness to these [officers]. These people build relationships," said Fran Miron, the Washington County commissioner who helped broker an 11th-hour labor agreement to keep Forest Lake's police department.

Morristown and Forest Lake are the latest among dozens of Minnesota cities where long-cherished police departments find themselves under the gun. As city leaders struggle to balance budgets and local governments strive to cut back on duplication, the trend toward paying another department to handle law enforcement needs is sweeping the nation.

"Really, this is a question of public safety," Jim Franklin, executive director of the Minnesota Sheriffs' Association, said of the trend away from city police. "You can cut down on duplication and put more [officers] on the road. It doesn't matter, in an emergency, whether you show up in blue or brown or maroon."

Frustrated residents, meanwhile, fight for local control and community pride. In Morristown, where the City Council voted to contract with Rice County, dissenting residents produced a petition with 329 signatures opposing the decision.

"We asked for a special vote and they said it was too expensive," said Morristown resident Justin Duncan.

And in Forest Lake, citizens celebrated when Sheriff Dan Starry withdrew the county contract last week, nudging city leaders toward a new labor agreement with police. The City Council will decide Monday whether to rescind its earlier 3-2 decision to shutter the police department, which was estimated to save Forest Lake $385,000 a year.

As many as 200 local police departments in Minnesota have closed since the late 1960s, shifting law enforcement to county sheriffs and replacing officers with deputies.

Carver County leads the metro area with 16 contracts in cities such as Chanhassen, New Germany and Waconia. Washington County follows with 15 and Anoka County, eight.

In Hennepin County, the state's largest sheriff's office provides law enforcement services for Greenfield, Hanover, Medicine Lake and Rockford. Deputies also patrol military installations at Fort Snelling.

Roseville City Council Member Tammy McGehee recently proposed saving $3 million a year by contracting with the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office, which patrols seven suburbs. Her idea was voted down on the grounds that Roseville, with 35,000 residents and a big regional shopping center, fields more police calls than the county's seven contract cities combined.

"I've been concerned about costs in the last several budget cycles … but the answer is not farming out policing to the Ramsey County sheriff," said Council Member Bob Willmus.

Sometimes it's not money, but scandal, that prompts city leaders to switch out services. That's what happened in 2015 in the Washington County city of Newport, where city leaders asked the Sheriff's Office to take over a police department in disarray.

In Montgomery last month, the Le Sueur County Sheriff's Department was asked to supervise the city's three police officers for three months after the City Council fired the chief.

The Foley City Council voted in 2012 to re-establish its police force after negotiations with Benton County fell apart and left 2,600 residents without law enforcement for two months. The city had closed the police department in 2003.

After the Forest Lake City Council's vote last week to close its police department, unhappy residents shifted their focus to the Washington County Board on the assumption it would have to approve a contract with the county to police the city. That won't happen now, but several speakers at last week's board meeting cast doubt on the wisdom of county contracts.

One of the 20 speakers imploring commissioners to say no to Forest Lake was Hugo resident Bob Kroll, president of the Minneapolis police union. If Forest Lake succeeded in disbanding its police force, he said, elected officials in other cities would be emboldened to do the same.

Franklin, of the Sheriffs' Association, said sheriffs have resources to manage a growing number of contract cities, including electronic management of countywide crime trends, and wider training and employment opportunities for former police officers. Eventually, the only change apparent to residents is the color of the uniform, he said.

The Forest Lake citizens who lobbied to keep Chief Rick Peterson and his 24 officers were undeniably persuasive. Hundreds of residents attended public meetings, jamming hallways and overflow rooms. A petition of support for police drew 6,000 signatures. Some people wept, as did some officers.

"I've never seen that many people that sad in my whole entire life," said 11-year-old Alli Schauls of Forest Lake, who on Tuesday stood before a packed Washington County Board room to ask commissioners to reject the contract with the county to police her city.

In Forest Lake, at least, the message was clear.

"Not one person has spoken in favor," said resident Amanda Kurz.