Falcon Heights officials say the city won't renew its contract for law enforcement services with the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office.
The contract between the Sheriff's Office and the small St. Paul suburb surrounding the State Fairgrounds expires at the end of the year. The city and the Sheriff's Office traded letters over the past week, formally agreeing to terminate the arrangement that has been in place since late 2017.
The city pays $1.3 million a year to the Sheriff's Office for services.
"The city does not have issue with the Sheriff's Office or the services we have received," City Administrator Jack Linehan said at a March 22 City Council meeting. The council at that meeting directed Linehan to notify the Sheriff's Office of the city's intention to look elsewhere for law enforcement services.
In his response, Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher said the move "is in everyone's best interest," noting that providing patrol, enforcement, crime prevention, investigative and other services for the city of about 5,000 people was never a perfect fit.
Falcon Heights does not border any of the other communities the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office serves, and that requires deputies to travel long distances, sometimes at high speeds with lights and sirens activated, when responding to emergencies, Fletcher said.
"The lack of a contiguous service area requires additional staffing to ensure deputy and resident safety," Fletcher said.
This is not the first time Falcon Heights has exercised its option to end the contract, which requires that either party provide a nine-month notice. In 2021, the city and the Sheriff's Office mutually agreed to part ways. But Falcon Heights was unable to find another partner to provide law enforcement services and remained with the Sheriff's Office.
