The city of Forest Lake received a proposal for contract law enforcement in the city from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office the evening of April 4, according to city staff. The proposal estimated that the total adjusted cost to the city for sheriff’s office law enforcement service in 2018 to be approximately $2.9 million, plus about $87,600 in one-time implementation costs. In 2017, the city budgeted approximately $4.04 million for police services, but the actual levy impact is estimated as closer to $3.2 million because several of the costs of the department are reimbursed by items like police state aid or the Forest Lake Area Schools’ contract for school resource officers. City staff told The Times that further analysis is being done to determine exactly how much cost difference there is between the proposal and the city’s current spending, as there are factors in the city’s current spending that may be unaccounted for in the proposal and which may shift the total cost differential lower or higher.

For staffing levels, the proposal centralizes some local police-related services (like record-keeping) within overall sheriff’s office operations, and it states that dedicated investigative services for the city will be assisted when necessary by county-wide investigators. The proposal states that the sheriff’s office expects that its proposed staffing level would lead to “a net increase in available resources on demand.”

To that end, the proposal outlines a plan for one commander, three sergeants, three investigators, three school resource officers, 15.5 patrol officers and one office support person. The Police Department currently employs one chief, one captain, four sergeants, four detectives, three school resource officers, 10 patrol officers and two administrative assistants, but the department budgeted for two additional patrol officers this year for a total of 12. The department is currently operating at 10 patrol officers because two patrol officers have left the department this year, and the city has postponed a request to fill those positions while it considers the proposal.

The entire proposal can be viewed at the city’s website. More information will be posted as it becomes available. The city is planning to hold an open house regarding the proposal, the date of which will likely be set at the City Council’s April 10 meeting.

The contract law enforcement proposal requested by the Forest Lake Personnel Committee from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office in January was sent to the city April 4. The Forest Lake City Council discussed the proposal timeline at its April 10 meeting and set a date for a public open house on the topic for April 18 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Forest Lake City Center.

The proposal, prepared under the supervision of outgoing Washington County Sheriff William Hutton, answers some questions community members have had about what police coverage in the city could look like under county supervision rather than the Forest Lake Police Department, but other details, including how the transition would take place and exactly how much cost differential exists between the proposal and the current police budget, remain unclear.

The proposal estimated that the total adjusted cost to the city for sheriff’s office law enforcement service in 2018 to be approximately $2.9 million, plus about $87,600 in one-time implementation costs. In 2017, the city budgeted approximately $4.04 million for police services, but the actual levy impact is estimated as closer to $3.2 million because several of the costs of the department are reimbursed by items like police state aid or the Forest Lake Area Schools’ contract for school resource officers. City staff told The Times that further analysis is being done to determine exactly how much cost difference there is between the proposal and the city’s current spending, as there are factors in the city’s current spending that may be unaccounted for in the proposal and which may shift the total cost differential.

“There’s things that will reduce that number and things that will increase it,” City Administrator Aaron Parrish said.

Those cost issues, as well as a variety of service and administrative comparisons, will be presented at the open house.
For staffing levels, the proposal centralizes some local police-related services (like record keeping) within overall sheriff’s office operations, and it states that dedicated investigative services for the city will be assisted when necessary by countywide investigators. To that end, the proposal outlines a plan for one commander, three sergeants, three investigators, three school resource officers, 15.5 patrol officers and one office support person. The Police Department currently employs one chief, one captain, four sergeants, four detectives, three school resource officers, 10 patrol officers and two administrative assistants, but the department budgeted for two additional patrol officers this year for a total of 12. The department is currently operating at 10 patrol officers because two patrol officers have left the department this year, and the city has postponed a request to fill those positions while it considers the proposal.

The proposal states that the sheriff’s office expects that its proposed staffing level would lead to “a net increase in available resources on demand.” Hutton told The Times he expected an increased service level because, if accepted as is, the proposal would result in more patrol officers assigned to the city for more hours of patrol and because if the city ever faces an issue that would temporarily require more officers – for example, a tough investigation or a large-scale emergency – the sheriff’s office could supplement investigators or patrols with its countywide staff.

Under the proposal, deputies would not be responding to the city from the county seat of Stillwater, but would instead start and finish each shift in Forest Lake, using the portion of the Forest Lake City Center currently allotted to the Forest Lake Police Department as its operational hub. On the cost, Hutton attributed the $2.9 million price tag to the sheriff’s office’s use o the economy of scale when negotiating with employees, conducting administrative work and spreading other costs across the entire sheriff’s organization when they would normally be borne by just the city. He also noted that some county services that currently are paid for the city, such as its participation in the Washington County Drug Task Force, would be included as part of the sheriff’s contract.

“We maintain and take care of all things needed,” he said.

The proposal and an accompanying set of frequently asked questions stresses the importance both of working closely with city government to align the sheriff’s office with city priorities and being engaged in community outreach. Hutton said that all of the staff positions for Forest Lake would be new positions in the sheriff’s office and that the office would happily interview current FLPD officers for the Forest Lake jobs.

“In Newport, we hired the Newport officers that were currently working with the city,” he said of another city where the sheriff’s office took over services.

During the April 10 City Council meeting, the council chamber was once again packed to overflowing as a contingent of residents protested the proposal process and asked the council to keep the Police Department intact. Several speakers, as well as Councilman Michael Freer, found fault in the level of detail in the proposal, which was primarily made up of information on the sheriff’s office’s functions and history with one page (and an attached few pages of frequently asked questions) directly addressing the specifics of the Forest Lake proposal – “35 pages of promotional package,” as resident John Bodine called it.

Key themes among the night’s open forum speakers included the fear of losing local control of law enforcement and the fear of hidden or unexpected costs when moving to the sheriff’s office. Former New Ulm Police Chief Erv Weinkauf, who moved to Forest Lake after his retirement, raised a number of questions along both fronts, including whether current police officers would be unable to take the new jobs due to changes in commute, how the council would mitigate losing its ability to negotiate with law enforcement unions, how the city would deal with potential legal action resulting from a disbanding decision, and how it would control costs for future sheriff’s office contracts.

“If, after a few years go by, the city believes that Washington County services are too expensive, what recourse will you then have?” he asked.

Resident Nagib Etoll, who works for the Minneapolis Airport Police Department, said it’s his experience than when programs are cut to save money, it’s usually too expensive to bring them back once people decide they’re necessary again. He added that the city jettisoning its police department in favor of a county contract didn’t seem like a good move for a burgeoning, progressive community.

“I just can’t think of anything more ‘small town’ than getting rid of your police department and contracting with the sheriff’s department,” he said.

For his part, Hutton said that the proposal was crafted by watching meetings, gathering information from the city, reading local media reports and taking other steps to glean from residents what they want in their police service. He added that the sheriff’s office has great respect for the FLPD and its operations.

“The proposal was asked for,” he said. “We didn’t go looking for it. Hopefully people agree that it’s a responsible, professional document that will help people make a … decision.”

After setting a date for the open house, the council briefly discussed conducting a phone survey to get more feedback from residents on the topic before voting against the idea 4-1. While the lone favorable vote, Councilwoman Mara Bain, thought the study was a good idea, stating that it might help the council agree on what the community consensus is, the other council members didn’t like the $9,000 price tag or the several weeks it would add to the decision-making process. Councilmen Freer and Sam Husnik added that the opinions of the public are already the talk of the community and are regularly shared with council members.

“I’m sorry, Mara, but I don’t think it’s going to prove anything,” Husnik said.

At the end of the meeting, Freer addressed critics of the council who claim that he, Councilman Ed Eigner and Mayor Ben Winnick have sought to disband the Police Department since the start of the process.

“I haven’t made a decision, and I don’t think it helps for people to accuse people of things that they don’t know,” he said. “I have met with every single person who’s asked. I’ve talked to every single person who’s called, and I’m more than willing to talk to people.”

Labor negotiations

As the city considers the proposal, the labor union that represents the FLPD’s patrol officers and supervising officers is protesting a contract negotiation move that it views as stalling the bargaining process in order to make it easier for the city to cut police.

Law Enforcement Labor Services reported that during a negotiation session for a 2017 contract for supervisors on March 30 (the contracts for patrol and supervisor officers expired at the end of 2016), the city declined to discuss terms for a new contract and instead would only offer to discuss terms related to the process of laying off officers, including turning in duty weapons and issues pertaining to benefits and time off. The 2016 contract for both groups is in effect until a new one is reached.

Kevin McGrath, business agent for the supervisors group, said he believed the move is a strategy by the city to “run out the clock,” as it would be easier for police layoffs to occur without a contract in place.

“I’m getting the idea that they’re not going to represent the will of the people, that they have an agenda, and the agenda is to disband the Police Department,” he said of city government, noting that he had been prepared to offer a contract that would not increase supervisors’ pay for the next two years. He said the city is obligated to negotiate but added that he got the impression from the city that if the union pushed the issue, the city would be more apt to disband the department.

“I don’t think that’s the case,” Parrish said of claims that the council had already made a decision. “I think our bargaining strategy is indicative of the fact that we’re considering our options.”

Parrish said he wouldn’t delve deeply into the city’s labor negotiation strategy but noted that if the city does decide to disband the department – a decision he stressed has not been made at this time – having a new contract in place would make it more difficult for the city to take the actions it needs. According to Marylee Abrams, a labor attorney for the city, disbanding the department while a labor agreement is in place would be considered an unfair labor practice and could violate state law, leading to the city’s wish to temporarily delay contract talks until a decision has been made.

The patrol officer group’s representative was set to meet with the city April 11, but The Times had not received word on the meeting before press time.

The Times requested a cost estimate for how much severance and unemployment costs would be if the department’s officers were laid off, but staff noted that the amount was still being calculated and was expected to be released soon.

At approximately 2:50 p.m. April 6, a page went out from Scandia requesting mutual aid from Marine regarding a garage on fire with a significant amount of smoke visible. The house, at 13305 188th St. N., was the residence of Mike and Julie White.

According to Scandia Fire Chief Mike Hinz, the cause of the blaze is still being investigated.

“The fire completely destroyed the second floor, attached garage and also a good portion of the first floor of the home,” Hinz said. “There was also severe smoke and water damage throughout. There isn’t much left and they are definitely going to have to rebuild if they choose to stay at the same address.”

A fatal crash involving a pedestrian was one of multiple injury crashes tackled by the Minnesota State Patrol in the last week in Forest Lake and the surrounding area.

The pedestrian crash happened in Wyoming around 1:45 a.m. April 14. According to the state patrol, a Chevrolet Tahoe driven south on Interstate Highway 35 by Micheal Quigley, 64, of East Bethel, was exiting onto Viking Boulevard from the highway when Kory William Klein, 32, of Hugo, crossed in front of the vehicle’s path and was hit.

He was taken to Fairview Lakes Medical Center but died from his injuries. According to the state patrol, alcohol appeared to play a factor in him entering the path of the Tahoe, and Quigley was not under the influence of alcohol.

The Forest Lake Police Department assisted with two other state patrol-managed crashes in the city.

The first occurred around 4:40 p.m. April 16 when Gregory Stream, 32, of Forest Lake, was driving east on State Highway 97 and waiting to make a left turn onto northbound Forest Road. Stream’s vehicle was reportedly rear-ended by another vehicle (the makes were not released by the state patrol before press time) driven by Michael Dykema, 25, of Forest Lake, pushing Stream’s car into westbound traffic and causing him to hit a third vehicle driven by Douglas Gilbertson, 36, of Prior Lake. After the crash, Dykema allegedly admitted that he’d fallen asleep at the wheel.

Stream’s adult passenger, Michelle Stream, 29, hurt her neck and was transported by ambulance to Fairview Lakes Medical Center. Two child passengers of his vehicle were also checked out at the hospital, along with a passenger from Gilbertson’s vehicle.

The third crash took place shortly before 7 a.m. April 17 on southbound I-35, near the Broadway intersection. According to police and state patrol reports, a Dodge Durango driven by Cynthia Hofeld, 61, of Forest Lake, was hit by a Lexus 300 driven by Richard Hay, 26, of Chisago City. Hofeld reported seeing Hay driving fast and coming up behind her before hitting her vehicle, causing her to spin out and injuring her when breaking glass cut her in multiple places on her body. The crash occurred during rush hour, and Forest Lake police assisted with traffic control. Hay was cited for careless driving, driving after the suspension of his license and possession of drug paraphernalia.

The residents of Forest Lake got a closer look at the details of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office proposal for contract law enforcement in the city during an open house at the Forest Lake City Center April 18.

The open house took place after press time, but the city provided The Forest Lake Times with the details of its presentation ahead of deadline.

The open house information was collected and curated by city staff, principally City Administrator Aaron Parrish and Police Chief Rick Peterson. The information examines the pros and cons of switching Forest Lake to a contract law enforcement model (which would lead to the disbanding of the Forest Lake Police Department), as well as to keeping the city’s public safety model as is.

The open house was also set to look at comparative costs and services between the contract law enforcement proposal and the current public safety plan, as well as between the Forest Lake Police Department and other departments and law enforcement models in other Minnesota cities.

“I am excited for our Police Department to showcase and display our many strengths, talents and cost saving measures we have taken over the years,” Police Chief Rick Peterson wrote in a statement to The Times. “I believe the open house will answer the question whether the Forest Lake Police Department’s budget is out of line with other comparable sized cities. It is not.”

Peterson was not the only city official to express excitement for the proposal and comparison to be put on display for the public.

Mayor Ben Winnick said he hoped the open house (and a digital archive of the information at cityofforestlake.com/virtualopenhouse) would clear up misconceptions about the proposal and what the city would be doing if it accepted the proposal. Perhaps chief among the misconceptions, he said, were the ideas that the city would be getting rid of police service entirely if it disbanded FLPD and that sheriff’s deputies would be responding to Forest Lake from Stillwater. If the city chooses to contract with the sheriff’s office for services and disband the FLPD, sheriff’s deputies would be headquartered in and responding from the Forest Lake City Center in the area that currently houses the Police Department.

“We never considered shutting down policing,” Winnick said. “That’s crazy. Cars aren’t going to be driving from Stillwater.”

Washington County Sheriff Bill Hutton, who crafted the proposal, said he’s also had to frequently debunk the myth of Forest Lake-assigned deputies responding to calls from outside of the city.

The open house presentation looks at the financial impact and service levels of both the FLPD and the sheriff’s office contract, as well as case studies from the contract cities of Shoreview and Andover and a wide-ranging benchmarking comparison between Forest Lake’s current law enforcement system and the systems of 13 other metro-area cities of similar population or land area.

While the presentation is multifaceted, it generally indicates that the service levels under the Police Department or sheriff’s office would remain relatively similar. The sheriff’s contract is estimated to be more cost-effective in the long run, while retaining the Police Department is projected to allow the city a greater measure of local control over its policing as well as a greater likelihood that the current group of officers policing the city remains intact.

Finances

The total FLPD budget for 2017 is just over $4 million, but minus revenues the city receives from items like police state aid and school resource officer reimbursement, the city estimates that its net impact on the property tax levy is approximately $3.34 million (a city staff estimate printed in a previous article put this number at $3.2 million prior to more in-depth analysis).

The sheriff’s office proposal is estimated to cost the city approximately $2.95 million in 2018 if approved, though the proposed contract amount is an estimate. If the city accepts the five-year contract, it will pay the sheriff’s office what the actual cost of providing police services ends up being, not the exact contract cost. The estimated net impact to the city is roughly $387,000 cheaper under the contract law enforcement proposal.

However, city staff also looked at how much the city would spend to fund the transition between the FLPD and the sheriff’s office and at some long-term police costs that might be avoided under the contract plan. Should the city accept the sheriff’s contract, the transition is estimated to cost approximately $512,000, most of that made up of unemployment, vacation and severance pay. However, the presentation also proposed that the city could save as much $354,000 over the next five years in additional capital costs that it would likely spend if it kept the FLPD, including the implementation of body cameras and replacing equipment and cars.

Winnick said the cost difference is important, stating that money spent in one part of the city budget is money that can’t be spent on a different need.

“There’s only so much money out there,” he said.

Benchmarking

“The open house will show how the Forest Lake Police Department has been operating (in) a very fiscally responsible manner over the years and is in line with other comparable sized cities’ police operating budgets,” Peterson stated in part. The city’s benchmarking survey seems to back that up.

The survey, one of the cornerstones of the open house presentation, looks at the police services of metro-area communities deemed similar to Forest Lake in area or population. The 13 cities compared to Forest Lake range in population from roughly 19,700 (Stillwater) to 31,700 (Andover), plus Hugo, which has a significantly lower population (14,352) and calls for service total (4,788) than the other cities, but is a neighbor of Forest Lake and includes a similar square mileage to the city (Forest Lake’s estimated population is 20,261).

Of the cities in the survey, Forest Lake is the 12th most populous but is tied for the second largest square mileage at 36. Despite the fact that its population is smaller than most of the cities in the survey, its 13,856 calls for service in 2016 were sixth-most in the survey, surpassing more populous communities like Shoreview (10,369 calls), Andover (8,830), Prior Lake (11,198) and others. Of the cities, Forest Lake is tied for the eighth or ninth-most staff at 27 full-time equivalents, depending on how Rosemount is counted (Rosemount has 26 full-time equivalents and six part-time employees).

A spending comparison between the cities is harder to parse, as the cities include different elements in their annual public safety budgets – for example, Forest Lake includes its prosecution costs, while Lino Lakes does not.
While Forest Lake’s total police budget for 2017 is the fourth highest of the cities, when it’s adjusted down after revenues and other balancing factors, it appears to be relatively in line with the adjusted cost of most of the other cities in the survey that have police departments, most of which had adjusted costs that appeared from the survey to range from roughly $3.3 million to $3.8 million. Farmington, Hastings and Elk River were outliers, with costs estimated at more than $4 million.

The contract law enforcement cities each had significantly lower costs than Forest Lake, but the Hugo, Chanhassen and Andover contracts include full-time equivalent levels significantly lower than Forest Lake’s current level of service: 7, 18.2 and 21.8, respectively. Shoreview’s numbers are calculated differently because the city is part of a larger group of cities served by Ramsey County, which treats Shoreview and six other nearby cities as a larger patrol district. The presentation states that 10.4 deputies (plus an addition 0.75 FTE for power shifts and traffic duty) are assigned to Shoreview for patrols, compared to 15.5 patrol officers under the proposed sheriff’s office contract in Forest Lake and 12 patrol officers in the current city police budget.

Service

The open house presentation generally estimates that service profiles between the FLPD and a contract law enforcement approach would not differ too much.

“With equivalent staffing levels(,) it is anticipated that response times with municipal or contract law enforcement would be similar,” the presentation’s values and issues section reads at one point.

The contract includes one commander, three sergeants, three investigators, three school resource officers, 15.5 patrol officers and one office support person. The Police Department is budgeted for one chief, one captain, four sergeants, four detectives, three school resource officers, 12 patrol officers and two administrative assistants. The amount of sworn law enforcement officers under the sheriff’s office proposal is 25.5, compared to 25 at the FLPD, though Hutton has said that the county staff stationed in Forest Lake could call on the larger sheriff’s office apparatus for additional patrol or investigation resources should the need arise. The sheriff’s office has also indicated that it will work to upkeep community policing and outreach in the city at similar levels to what the FLPD does now, and Hutton stressed that the deputies and supervisors assigned to Forest Lake would be based in Forest Lake during their shifts.

“(Residents are) not going to come to the sheriff’s office (in Stillwater) to conduct business with Forest Lake,” he said. “That will all be conducted in Forest Lake.”

Winnick said he was excited for the potential of a greater pool of resources and specialties that the city could take advantage of by working with the sheriff’s office directly, listing human trafficking and elder abuse as two modern concerns he believed the sheriff’s office is well-equipped to tackle.

“One of the parameters of this (proposal) was having equal protection or better,” he said.

Under the contract, the sheriff is the ultimate arbiter of staff assignments and service levels, though he or she will make that decision with the input of city government. The city has a more supervisory approach toward police services under a police department model, working directly with the police chief and city administrator to set service levels and priorities.

Staff impact

One relative unknown – in fact, a matter on which there is some dispute – is exactly what the status of the city’s current police officers will be if the FLPD is dissolved. The current police force has been praised by anti-proposal residents as a huge factor in their desire to keep the FLPD, due to many of the officers’ local ties and knowledge of the area.

“Many of our officers over the past 40 years have been Forest Lake residents and Forest Lake Area High School graduates,” Peterson stated, noting that of the department’s current employees, five live in the city, 10 live in the school district and nine are local high school grads.

The proposal allows for the current police officers to interview for deputy jobs, and Hutton said the sheriff’s office would be “foolish” not to place officers who already know the area on the Forest Lake beat – when the sheriff’s office took over policing duties for Newport, it similarly hired Newport police officers to fulfill those duties.

However, Hutton could not guarantee that all Forest Lake Police officers hired by the sheriff’s office would be assigned to Forest Lake, and he said that whether the Forest Lake officers would be allowed to take the supervisory roles in the contract (like sergeant or commander) remains to be seen.

“We’re trying not to put the cart in front of the horse here because we have other union aspects that we have to deal with within our department,” he said, adding that the sheriff’s office is in the process of sorting out the exact employment rules that apply to the situation.

Councilwoman Mara Bain said that based on her conversations with the sheriff’s office about the contract, she did not believe that local officers would be able to take over supervisory roles right away in the contract because they would not be senior employees.

The open house presentation mentions that the officers who decided to switch to the sheriff’s office would likely not be able to transition their seniority to the sheriff’s office.

The presentation also discusses several other factors involved in benchmarking and comparing the FLPD to the sheriff’s contract and other cities’ policing plans, including labor and staff issues, liability concerns, and more. The documentation from the open house is available in full on the city’s website.

Sheriff’s office presence

Over the weekend, a contingent of residents in support of keeping the Forest Lake Police Department intact, including Bain, began raising concerns on social media that the sheriff’s office has not appeared to discuss the topic at a council meeting and would not be present at the open house to answer questions. Bain told The Times she hoped Hutton or someone else from the sheriff’s office would be willing to come to a future meeting, as she believed that the lack of a sheriff’s office representative answering questions in a public forum was limiting the public access to information about the proposal. She added that the council members, including herself, have met with the sheriff’s office privately on separate occasions and have asked questions about the proposal that the public might find relevant.

“People don’t have all of the material information on what the council members are using to make their decision,” she said.

Hutton said the position is an about-face from his previous interactions with the council, adding that he told the city from the outset of the proposal process that he would not be sending representation to city meetings.

“I told them I would not come to an open house or any similar type of meeting,” he said. “Each one of them (council members) stated that they understood and they understood why I would do that.”

Hutton said he has no intention to shrink from the details from his proposal; instead, he hoped that by not attending the meetings and letting Forest Lake discuss the proposal on its own, he could keep the sheriff’s office from becoming involved in a divisive political process and limit any perception that the sheriff’s office was attempting to compete with local police.

“I don’t want this to appear that it’s competition, because it is not competition in our eyes,” he said, reiterating his previous comments that he has great respect for the FLPD and Peterson’s management of it.

Administrator Parrish said the council would vote on the proposal once it gets a formal draft agreement, which has not arrived from the sheriff’s office yet. He doubted the council would make a decision at its April 24 meeting but did not rule it out.

A 34-year-old Scandia man was arrested over the weekend after allegedly attempting to kidnap a woman last week in Willernie.

According to the Washington County Attorney’s Office, Michael Grant Harker, 34, of Scandia, was driving a van on Wildwood Road in Willernie around 8:30 p.m. April 20. Harker allegedly drove his van slowly and passed several times by a woman who was standing near the road. He allegedly parked the van nearby, walked to the woman and grabbed her by the hair, punching her in the head and attempting to get her back to his van and in a side door. A third person was nearby and heard the woman screaming; upon the third person’s approach, the woman was able to escape, and Harker allegedly fled the scene in his van (the entire incident was reportedly captured by the security camera of a nearby business, which has not yet been publicly identified).

Working with the woman, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office was able to glean a description of his van and some of the numbers on its license plate. The sheriff’s office was able to work with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to determine that the van likely belonged to Harker. He and the van were found at his Scandia residence, and he was arrested early in the morning on April 22. He does not appear to be connected to the victim in any way.

Harker does not appear to be a longtime resident of Scandia. According to the attorney’s office, he was released from incarceration in Idaho late last year, though the agency did not state what the conviction was for.

Six days after a well-attended open house on the Washington County Sheriff’s Office proposal for contract law enforcement in Forest Lake, the City Council voted April 24 to hold a work session and special meeting May 1 to further explore the topic with the hope of making a final decision on the issue. The vote was 3-2 in favor of the setting the meeting, with Councilwoman Mara Bain and Councilman Husnik voting against out of concern that not enough questions about the proposal and contract would be able to be answered before that date.

The Forest Lake City Center was packed during the April 18 open house as community members read information about the proposal and shared their thoughts with council members (read more about the details presented during the open house in the April 20 story “Open house digs into police proposal details” or online at tinyurl.com/krhr5n8). Though residents who were open to the proposal process attended the open house, the anti-proposal contingent made itself known; many wore blue armbands in support of keeping the Forest Lake Police Department intact, while others brought signs asking why Sheriff Bill Hutton did not come to the meeting to answer questions.

On April 24, Mayor Ben Winnick said that some people had threatened his family and that while those people were not representative of the anti-proposal resident group as a whole, such actions were unacceptable and ineffective.

“Threats against myself and my family will not be tolerated,” he said.

Councilman Michael Freer added that he and his family had been threatened as well, before praising the open house as a good communication forum.

“There was a lot of really good conversation with people,” he said.

Expressing a desire to discuss the details of the proposal and then take the next step, whether that would be to accept or reject what the county is offering, Freer moved to hold a work session and a special section to follow on May 1, at the latter of which the council could decide whether to move forward with the WCSO contract. He was questioned by Bain, who thought that the contract and proposal were still in an early enough stage that it would be likely for the council or the public to still have questions in a week’s time. Freer responded that answering those questions was the goal of the work session. He also noted later in the meeting that the contract could be tabled if need be.

“We have workshop items all the time that we go through in detail,” he said.

He added that the council could spend four hours or more on the topic before making a decision at a special meeting.

“I do feel that we can get through it in that period of time,” he said.

Bain was still doubtful, pointing out that the council does not have a final draft of a sheriff’s office contract, adding that on the draft contract she has seen, estimates for the fourth and fifth year’s costs for the five-year contract were not available (the draft was not made available to the public before press time).

“We’re going to sign a contract where we haven’t even looked at those numbers one week in advance?” she asked. “Do we hate ourselves?”

Following this remark, Winnick joined the conversation between Freer and Bain.

“I’m going to try to hold my tongue, Mara, but, you know, you’ve done nothing but try and stir the pot on this,” he said, before being interrupted by a brief outburst of consternation from the audience of more than 100 people.

“I have (upheld) the campaign promises that I made and I have been consistent (on) everything I have said publicly since I filed for office in early August. Call that stirring the pot; I call it representing the people who elected me,” Bain responded, receiving applause from the crowd.

Shortly after this exchange, the council voted to set the meeting for May 1, which was met with a chorus of boos from many in the audience. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. City staff expect a final contract from the sheriff’s office later this week.

On April 28, the city of Forest Lake released the details of Washington County’s finalized proposal contract for the provision of law enforcement services in the city, which, if accepted, would result in the dissolution of the Forest Lake Police Department. The city also released a new 2018 budget proposal from Forest Lake Police Chief Rick Peterson which proposes cost savings by not replacing two officer positions that are currently vacant and by incorporating a 0 percent wage increase for supervisors and patrol officers, as put forward by the Law Enforcement Labor Services union at the Forest Lake City Council’s April 24 meeting.

The council will discuss, and possibly vote, on these items at its May 1 workshop (starting at 6:30 p.m.) and special council meeting.

The proposal from the county estimates that its services (which would begin on Sept. 1 if approved) would cost the city approximately $2.9 million during the first year, $2.97 million the second year and $3.05 million the third year, though the city would pay the county the amount the police service is actually calculated to cost, not the estimated amount. Estimates for the fourth and fifth years of the five-year contract are not available.

In a memo prepared by City Administrator Aaron Parrish, he estimates that switching to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office for services will likely cost the city about $125,000 extra in the 2018 police budget (with the savings from the police department costs being offset by layoff and other transition costs) and then save the city about $387,000 in 2019. The memo projects similar savings over the next three years of the contract, assuming that the FLPD’s budget would grow at a similar rate, resulting in a projected savings of about $1.42 million – or $1.78 million if potential savings in the city’s capital improvement plan are included (the projects in the capital improvement plan have not yet been authorized by the council, however).

Parrish’s memo does not give the council a recommendation as to what decision it should make. However, another memo, which along with Parrish’s was released in the packets of the May 1 meetings, was written by Peterson, who recommended that the city retain the FLPD. Peterson’s memo proposes that, in order to find greater cost savings, the city does not replace the two police officer positions that were vacated by resignations earlier this year. To not reduce patrol coverage, the FLPD detective assigned to the Washington County Drug Task Force and the detective assigned to the Crime Prevention and Community Policing Unit would be reassigned to patrol positions. The memo also accounts for a 0 percent wage and benefit increase to officers in 2017 and 2018, as suggested by LELS, though Parrish’s memo noted that the union would likely try to negotiate in 2019 and beyond to make up for the stagnant wages.

Peterson’s memo projected an effective cost to taxpayers of about $3.13 million for his amended plan, down from the current estimated effective cost of $3.34 million. He estimated that, accounting for the layoff transition costs of moving to the county, his proposal would save the city about $367,000 over the county plan in 2018, though it would still be slightly higher than the 2019 and 2020 projected county costs.

The meeting agendas are available at the city’s website. Learn more about the specifics of the comparisons between the county proposal and the city police structure here.

Forest Lake will have to wait at least one more week – but likely not longer – before the City Council decides whether or not to accept a contract law enforcement proposal from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.

Anticipating a decision at the council’s May 1 special meeting, interested Forest Lake residents crammed into the Forest Lake City Center, with most attendees expressing support for a rejection of the proposal and the retention of the Forest Lake Police Department. Well over 100 people wedged into the council chambers, while a crush of people watched the meeting in the hallway outside and another large group watched the proceedings in a community room upstairs in the center. With Lakes Area Television’s web broadcast of the event undergoing technical difficulties, observers of social media during the meeting reported that more than 3,000 people had watched a live stream of the event filmed on an attendee’s phone.

Having already extended the council meeting curfew on the topic, the council voted 3-2 to continue the meeting (thus allowing members to continue discussion without another open forum) on May 8. Councilwoman Mara Bain and Councilman Sam Husnik voted against the measure, preferring to talk more about the topic and possibly make a decision that night. Bain had previously voiced opposition to May 1 as a decision-making meeting, stating that she thought it didn’t give the council enough time to consider the details of the contract.

How the council would ultimately vote on the topic remained unclear. Though Bain and Husnik have stated their opposition to the proposal both during and outside of meetings, Councilmen Michael Freer and Ed Eigner said toward the end of the May 1 meeting that they were not yet sure how they would vote. Mayor Ben Winnick did not explicitly state if he’d decided how he would vote but told the crowd that he was thoughtfully considering residents’ concerns and the impact a dissolution of the FLPD would have on local officers.

“Wherever this decision takes us, I can guarantee you that the five people up here are going to struggle with that decision,” Winnick said.

The meeting came on the heels of the April 28 release of the details of Washington County’s finalized proposal contract for the contract law enforcement proposal. The city also released a new 2018 budget proposal from Forest Lake Police Chief Rick Peterson which proposes cost savings by not replacing two officer positions that are currently vacant and by incorporating a 0 percent wage increase for supervisors and patrol officers, as proposed by the Law Enforcement Labor Services union at the Forest Lake City Council’s April 24 meeting (as of May 1, city staff reported that Forest Lake had received an official proposal for a zero percent increase from the patrol officers union group but not the supervisors).

The proposal from the county estimates that its services (which would begin on Sept. 1 if approved) would cost the city approximately $2.9 million during the first year, $2.97 million the second year and $3.05 million the third year, though the city would pay the county the amount the police service is actually calculated to cost, not the estimated amount. Estimates for the fourth and fifth years of the five-year contract are not available.

If the city approved the contract and then decided later to leave the agreement prior to the five years being up, they would owe the contract costs to the county for the remaining years. How exactly this would be determined, given the fact that the county will be charging the city actual costs, not cost estimates, is currently uncertain. City staff said the city would need to seek clarity from the sheriff’s office regarding this issue.

In a memo prepared by City Administrator Aaron Parrish, he estimated that switching to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office for services will likely cost the city about $125,000 extra in the 2018 police budget (with the savings from the police department costs being offset by layoff and other transition costs) and then save the city about $387,000 in 2019. The memo projects similar savings over the next three years of the contract, assuming that the FLPD’s budget would grow at a similar rate, resulting in a projected savings of about $1.42 million – or $1.78 million if potential savings in the city’s capital improvement plan are included (the projects in the capital improvement plan have not yet been authorized by the council, however).

Parrish’s memo did not give the council a recommendation as to what decision it should make. However, another memo, which along with Parrish’s was released in the packets of the May 1 meetings, was written by Peterson, who recommended that the city retain the FLPD. Peterson’s memo proposes that, in order to find greater cost savings, the city does not replace the two police officer positions that were vacated by resignations earlier this year. To not reduce patrol coverage, the FLPD detective assigned to the Washington County Drug Task Force and the detective assigned to the Crime Prevention and Community Policing Unit would be reassigned to patrol positions. The memo also accounts for a 0 percent wage and benefit increase to officers in 2017 and 2018, as proposed by LELS, though Parrish noted that the union would likely try to negotiate in 2019 and beyond to make up for the stagnant wages.

Peterson’s memo projected an effective cost to taxpayers of about $3.13 million for his amended plan, down from the current estimated effective cost of $3.34 million. He estimated that, accounting for the layoff transition costs of moving to the county, his proposal would save the city about $367,000 over the county plan in 2018, though it would still be slightly higher than the 2019 and 2020 projected county costs. However, Peterson did state at the meeting that he would prefer the department’s budget to stay as is.

Though the vast majority of the work session and special meeting was made up of nearly four hours of public comment, toward the end of the proceedings, the community got to hear the most public explanation yet from Eigner, Freer and Winnick, the three council members who have been driving the proposal process forward, of why the proposal was requested. The three men offered differing explanations that hit on a variety of similar themes, among them finances, service and the feeling that the FLPD was becoming unduly involved with local politics.

Freer gave the most complete account of how his views on the issue evolved. Explaining that he had talked privately with members of FLPD leadership and was told multiple times the department was not experiencing a coverage shortage, Freer said he was disappointed that that same leadership did nothing to dispel assertions from some political factions during the 2016 campaign that the department’s coverage of the community was inadequate following the 2015 layoff of officer Max Boukal (a layoff that Freer was against). Freer said the conception that police coverage was inadequate led people to fear for their safety.

“When we have (police) leadership refusing to bring things forward or talk about it in public when the perception is out there – the perception is enough for the community not to feel safe,” he said. “When we have somebody out there refusing to bring it forward, that’s unacceptable.”

Freer also noted that he had tried to address this issue privately behind the scenes and had been reluctant to bring it up publicly.

Eigner said he believed that some police officers used their positions to exert influence on the election – “Anyone who didn’t see it in the last campaign has got their head in the sand,” he remarked – but he said his primary concern is providing cost-effective and exemplary service. Noting that the department currently makes up nearly half of the city’s budget, Eigner suggested that a smaller police budget could free up the council to focus funding on other areas of the city budget that are in need.

“It was said tonight, ‘Why don’t you spend your money on other things? Why don’t you spend you money on roads? Why don’t you spend your money on giving us water, streetlights?’ … Where does the money come from for these other things?” he asked.

Winnick said he was “still trying to look past” what he saw as actions of some police officers working against him during the 2016 campaign, but he added that he also wanted the focus of the discussion to be on the proposal, not the election.

“At the end of the day, we have to look at levels of service and what we’re going to get, what our expectations are going into the future,” he said.

Husnik and Bain offered comments on why they believe keeping the FLPD is the right choice, including residential satisfaction with the department’s work and the current officers’ intimate knowledge of and relationship with the community. They also remarked on the crowd that has consistently showed up at council meetings since the request for a proposal was sent to the sheriff’s office in January, noting their steadfast opposition to the proposal process.

“This has really galvanized this community, and this is the one thing that people on the left and the right have agreed on, and (everyone) in between,” Husnik said.

The council’s remarks were brief, however, compared to the outpouring of support for keeping the department expressed by residents, business owners and nearby community members during the meetings. Members of the Citizens Opposed to Police Shutdown group started filing into the city center before 5 p.m. (the meeting didn’t start until 6:30), and as the council chambers and then the surrounding hallway filled, the event began to resemble something more akin to a peaceful rally than a council meeting. Some of the anti-proposal movement’s leaders quietly discussed who should say what during the open forum, while several Catholics were given copies of an intercessory prayer to read during the meeting. Signs abounded, including a cluster of people whose signs expressed “Faith in Freer” that the councilman would make a good decision, and a few people here and there who made reference to Winnick’s April 24 assertion that Bain was trying to “stir the pot” on the proposal issue.

Also recognizing criticism that public comment at recent council meetings had at times taken on a hostile tone – along with Freer and Winnick’s announcement in April that their families had been threatened, a concern echoed by Eigner on May 1 – the anti-proposal leadership attempted to encourage a more respectful discourse during the meetings, an effort recognized and remarked positively on by council members toward the end of the night.

Speakers came up one by one for hours to weigh in, each one coming at the topic from a different approach. One referenced meeting God on Judgment Day, another made a “Jurassic Park” reference, and a few people made personal entreaties to individual council members. Matt Arntzen presented the council with a petition to keep the FLPD he said had racked up 6,000 signatures, and he and others urged Winnick to stick by comments he made at a candidate forum and online during the 2016 election in which he prioritized keeping the department viable for the future and said he wasn’t considering contracting for services.

“I really believe if you would have said out on the campaign trail that you were thinking about getting rid of the Forest Lake police or you were doing this, you would have never gotten anywhere near the votes you got,” Kris Martin told Winnick.

All but one of the open forum speakers was against the proposed contract, with those who spoke in favor of keeping the FLPD hitting on a variety of common themes in their arguments, including doubts about the plan’s cost effectiveness, the loss of local control, the current department’s wealth of knowledge about the area and the suspicion among some commenters that council members held some kind of vendetta against the officers. Perhaps the most common theme, however, was how much FLPD supporters value the relationships officers have with community members. A number of children and Forest Lake Area High School students spoke about the impact that school resource officers and other police have made on their lives; one, Mariah Carson, told the crowd that School Resource Officer Jon Glader had taught her how to park a truck, encouraged her to join the Army and comforted her after a friend’s suicide. Local resident Sarah Stark said her brother, once suicidal, had asked her to come to the meeting to talk about how he would have taken his own life if not for the patient, understanding efforts of the FLPD – efforts she said were forged from the relationships the department has invested in the community.

“You talked to him no matter what kind of state he was in,” she said, adding that the police were a comfort to the rest of her family as well. “You talked to him like he was there … and took such good care of him.”

“You are a blessing to us and we can never thank you guys enough,” she added, to applause from the crowd.

Though the council briefly began to discuss some of details of the contract, the majority decided that there wouldn’t be enough time to delve into an in-depth conversation. The meeting was continued to May 8.

The tears flowed as freely as the cries of rage the evening of May 8 at the Forest Lake City Center. The City Council had just voted, 3-2, to contract with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office for law enforcement services starting in September, effectively beginning a process that, unless stopped, will result in the disbanding of the Forest Lake Police Department.

Unlike the council’s May 1 work session and special meeting on the subject, the proceedings did not occupy an entire evening, lasting less than an hour instead of more than five. Like May 1, however, the community showed up in droves for the event, with the vast majority vocalizing support for keeping the FLPD intact. The council chamber was packed to overflowing, with many more residents crowding the hall outside the chamber or watching a live feed of the meeting in the city’s fire hall, which is attached to the city center. Council comments were frequently interrupted with applause for points made by Councilwoman Mara Bain and Councilman Sam Husnik, who voted against accepting the proposal, or with boos or shouted remarks for Mayor Ben Winnick and Councilmen Michael Freer and Ed Eigner, who voted for the proposal.

The council’s final vote was moved by Winnick with the addendum that the city should encourage the sheriff’s office to hire current Forest Lake officers and focus on community engagement and service. It also authorized City Administrator Aaron Parrish to negotiate with the police officers’ union leadership over terms of officers’ layoffs. The sheriff’s office proposal does not guarantee that current officers will be hired or, if they are hired, that they will be assigned to work in the city, though former Sheriff Bill Hutton, who led the crafting of the proposal, told The Times that the WCSO hiring and utilizing police officers already well-versed with Forest Lake seemed to be the logical choice.

More information on the proposal and potential alternatives to it can be found in the Times’ April 20 story “Open house digs into police proposal details” and the May 4 story “Hundreds attend, but no decision yet on FLPD.”

Since the May 8 meeting was a continuation of the May 1 special meeting, there was no open forum, and the council and city staff got right into discussion.

The meeting opened with the city’s labor attorney, Marylee Abrams, telling the council about an emergency meeting between city negotiators and the FLPD’s two labor unions (represented by the larger group Law Enforcement Labor Services) that took place on May 6. During the meeting, she said, the groups discussed various terms that, if agreed upon by all parties, could have resulted in a joint union and negotiator recommendation to the City Council. Ultimately, she said, city negotiators offered a three-year deal that included, among other items, 2 percent raise increases each year, the establishment of procedures with the goal of improving council-police relations and examining police operations for efficiencies, the elimination of health benefits for retirees, and changes to the contract arbitration process. Abrams did not delve deeply into what the changes were but said that they would help “streamline” the arbitration process and reduce conflict; in a press release sent to the media the evening of the meeting, LELS claimed that the city’s offer “tilts arbitration in the city’s favor.”

“The (contract) changes would not impact officers economically,” Abrams noted.

The police supervisors and patrol officers represented by LELS met May 7 to vote on the city’s offer, ultimately deciding to reject it. Earlier in the day on May 8, Abrams said, LELS proposed once again that both unions accept a zero percent increase for 2017 and 2018 and requested that the city and LELS file joint mediation through the Bureau of Mediation Services. Abrams said that the zero percent increase is not desirable from the city’s standpoint because after the two years are up, negotiation with the unions would probably result in a steeper percentage increase in salary to keep up with current market demands.

“We’d probably be playing catch-up, and that could be damaging to your budget,” she told the council.

LELS Executive Director Sean Gormley spoke after Abrams and said that he believed healthy conversation came from the meeting, though he said LELS was confused at times about where the process was leading. He added that police union members were concerned that aspects of the deal hurt seniority and noted that the arbitration and health benefit provisions were important to the officers (retiree health benefits are currently available to officers hired before 2010 who work with the city for 30 years).

“I think that given the opportunity, we can find common ground on a lot of these things,” he said.

LELS’ press release was more forceful, stating that the city’s offer “guts key benefits for cops” and accusing the city of blackmail by holding the threat of a disbanded police department over officers’ heads in exchange for a bad labor deal. After the meeting, Gormley said the officers were unhappy with the arbitration, retirement and shift scheduling changes in the contract and were worried that the proposal would damage seniority. He accused the council majority of scripting its decision as using a purposely bad contract to scapegoat officers for the decision.

“Quite frankly, everything that was contained in here was a big issue,” he said of the contract. “For them to say that this was a fair contract with ample time to discuss it is a blatant, out-and-out lie.”

Following Gormley and Abrams, each council member spoke briefly on the labor negotiations and the situation as a whole, followed by a brief discussion among members interspersed with questions for Abrams and Parrish. Husnik went first, remarking that the council should let the city heal by rejecting the proposal and arguing that it would be foolish of the council to make a snap judgment on the rejection of the offer due to the short time frame in which LELS and the city had to negotiate. Prior to the emergency meeting, LELS had attempted to negotiate for a 2017 contract for its officers but were told by Parrish and Abrams that the city could only discuss terms related to a potential layoff.

“As far as I’m concerned, that (contract negotiation) process should have been going on for the last couple months,” Husnik said.

Eigner, Freer and Winnick each expressed disappointment in the officers’ rejection of the labor proposal. Eigner said he didn’t feel there was motivation by the police to work with the city on an agreeable outcome.

“We’re … definitely (at an) impasse here,” he said.

Freer said he’d been very hopeful over the weekend that the situation would be worked out, thanking LELS, Parrish and Abrams for coming to the table.

“Maybe this could have started sooner, but it takes both sides to want to do that, and unfortunately at this point in time it doesn’t seem like we were able to work this out at this point,” he said.

Bain said that the officers seemed amenable to some of the key parts of the contract, including language that would establish a stakeholder group to allow the police and city government to overcome differences. She said there was no reason to set the May 8 meeting as any kind of deadline for a decision, expressing hope that staff could continue to negotiate and find a mutually beneficial outcome for the department membership and the city.

“These folks got together on Sunday morning to vote on a contract,” she said. “You don’t call that done, and if that’s the end of our appetite to start this process, we’ve got the wrong people sitting at the table. This is not done.”

She added her feeling that circumstances of low trust and a condensed timeline made for a suboptimal negotiation environment.

“How dare us say in one week, ‘We’re at an impasse, we don’t have any options’?” she asked. “That’s embarrassing!”

Winnick spoke last during the initial council comments, remarking that the city wanted to find a compromise with the department that would allow the city more local control and input on the department.

“Personally, I was extremely disappointed (in the unions’ rejection),” he said. “This is a great offer, a great offer to the Police Department. … It was a good proposal. I don’t think there’s any more we can offer them.”

The focus on reaching a labor agreement with department members was a new wrinkle in the contract law enforcement discussion. Prior to the May 8 meeting, though some council members had broached topics like saving labor negotiation costs or offering more comprehensive services as possible factors in a decision to contract with Washington County, the body had not discussed during its meetings the possibility of reaching a favorable labor agreement as being a necessary step in retaining the department.

Before the vote, council members discussed a few more topics that they viewed as pros or cons in the WCSO proposal. Bain slammed the requirement that the city pay out the balance of its contract cost (which is currently unknown, as cost estimates for the final two years of the five-year contract are not available) if it cancels the sheriff’s contract early, while Winnick said a partnership with the county would allow the city access to services it currently cannot afford. He urged residents to read the proposal for a comprehensive list of WCSO services.

Amid boos and screams, the council immediately adjourned following the vote to approve the contract. Police Chief Rick Peterson stood between Winnick and some residents who had pressed close to ask the mayor questions or express their frustration, allowing Winnick to leave the council chamber unimpeded. In the chamber and the city center halls, attendee reactions ranged from disgust to sadness to resolve. Some residents yelled thinly veiled threats toward council members as they left the building or speculated that the three in favor of the contract had made up their minds ahead of time, while many police officers exchanged tearful hugs with their supporters, including several students. Sometimes, the officer was doing the comforting; at others, he or she was being comforted. Still other residents took up a chant of “Not over yet,” vowing that they will continue to fight the sheriff’s office proposal until they have exhausted their options.

“Leadership failed, and it did not represent the community,” said local businessman and former mayoral candidate Mark Finnemann, one of the leaders of the anti-proposal movement in the city. He said that though his conversations with those well-versed in the law indicate that there wouldn’t be much chance of a successful lawsuit against the city in this matter, he and many other community members have plans to continue their efforts in other ways. LELS is still discussing its options; right now, it is not known if the group will pursue legal action against the city or attempt to make the city enter a contract for 2017 with FLPD officers, who are currently serving under the terms of their 2016 contract.

For now, the process has shifted to the Washington County Board of Commissioners, which will have to approve the contract with the city before it takes effect. The board did not have the topic on its May 9 meeting agenda, but several residents spoke on the topic at the meeting in Stillwater all the same. District 1 Commissioner Fran Miron, who represents Forest Lake and the surrounding area on the board, did not return a call seeking comment before press time. Finnemann acknowledged that the probability of convincing the County Board was not high but said he and others remained committed to the cause.

“Three people do not represent the majority,” he said.

Forest Lake Area High School students also got involved, staging a walk-out on May 9 to protest the council vote. They were joined by junior high students and students from Lakes International Language Academy, creating a gaggle of hundreds of young protestors who trekked to the city center.

About half an hour after the meeting ended, the city issued a press release announcing the council vote. The release included a quote from Winnick.

“This was an extremely difficult decision to make, but ultimately it is the right move for the city of Forest Lake,” the release quoted Winnick as saying. “This contract will position the city for long-term sustainability and will increase the numbers of patrols in the city. I’d like to personally thank the officers of the Forest Lake Police Department for their years of dedicated service and I strongly encourage the Washington County Sheriff’s Office to give preferential hiring to these fine men and women as they look to hire additional deputies to patrol the city of Forest Lake.”
Later in the evening, Peterson issued a brief statement on the situation.

“(I) just want to thank all the community for all of their support; the community has been fantastic,” he said. “And we’ll continue to provide services, exceptional services to the city of Forest Lake as long as we’re employed here.”

Following the Washington County Sheriff’s Office’s decision to withdraw its contract law enforcement proposal for consideration and further labor agreement negotiations between the city of Forest Lake and the two unions representing the Forest Lake Police Department, the Forest Lake City Council is holding a special meeting May 15 to discuss and likely vote on a resolution to accept the labor agreement and rescind its acceptance of the WCSO proposal. This move would mean that the city will continue to utilize the Forest Lake Police Department as Forest Lake’s primary law enforcement agency.

The council’s special meeting will start at 6:30 p.m.

Forest Lake City Councilwoman Mara Bain first reported May 10 that the city had reached a tentative labor agreement with the unions representing Forest Lake police officers. The unions voted unanimously to approve the agreement the following day.

“The city is going to do an official statement, but I am going to confirm,” she told The Times regarding the deal with the unions.

“This has been only the result of this community banding together and showing its … undying support for the Police Department,” she added. “This is a great day for the Forest Lake community.”

The Times had received multiple reports throughout the day May 10 regarding the status of the sheriff’s proposal and the city potentially deciding to keep the department, but it had been unable to confirm any information with county or city officials until Wednesday evening, when Bain responded to a request for comment.

Shortly after 8:30 p.m. May 10, the city of Forest Lake, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and Law Enforcement Labor Services (which represents both the FLPD and WCSO) released a joint press release. The press release states that the unions and the city tentatively agreed to the three-year contract for 2017 through 2019 that includes a 2 percent salary increase starting this July, a 2 percent increase in 2018 and a 3 percent increase in 2019. The contract also keeps the retiree health benefits, a key point of contention in the city’s offer to the unions last weekend, and it provides for a development consultant to provide feedback on the operations and sustainability of the department, as well as establishing a stakeholder group that will bring two council members, the police chief, the city administrator and two police officers together to discuss conflict resolution and mediation.

The contract also includes changes in the arbitration process between the unions and the city, which was another sticking point with last weekend’s offer. The press release states that the changes will encourage both parties to bring their best offers to the table during negotiation. LELS Executive Director Sean Gormley told The Times the changes in arbitration between the last offer and the current one were mutually beneficial.

“They are a little different, but all I can say to that is both sides are agreeable to the language change,” he said.

The press release states that Gormley and City Administrator Aaron Parrish met for negotiations the morning of May 10 after strong encouragement by Washington County District 1 Commissioner Fran Miron and Sheriff Dan Starry to come to an agreement. Both men expressed happiness that an agreement to keep the FLPD in operation was reached.

Police Chief Rick Peterson was also quoted in the release, praising the professionalism of his officers during a trying time, and Parrish was quoted as expressing hope that this process would lead to improved relationships between the city, city staff and the public.

Gormley told The Times that he and Parrish returned to the table with the attitude that “we weren’t miles apart” in the hopes that the conversations from last weekend could be continued with a more positive outcome. He praised Parrish’s attitude and willingness to continue to try to come to an agreement.

The sheriff’s office reported on social media that it had withdrawn the proposal from consideration by the county board. Miron said it wasn’t for him to say what exactly prompted the withdrawal, noting that the withdrawal decision was Starry’s alone to make. Starry was not the sheriff at the time the proposal was crafted for the city at the request of the Forest Lake Personnel Committee.

“It’s interesting how this came about so early in (Starry’s) tenure as sheriff here, and I think he has proven his leadership capabilities,” Miron said.

Miron said he was very happy that it appeared the city and police officers were able to reach agreement, and he said the contract seemed to offer the officers good benefits while including accountability and relational components that are “critical to the healing that needs to go on in the Forest Lake community.”

He also apologized to the constituents who he was unable to respond to regarding this topic over the last few weeks, noting that he received hundreds of emails and phone calls. He said he read all of the correspondence that was sent to him but didn’t have time to write back to everyone.

“I’m trying to listen and absorb the attitude of the community toward this issue,” he said.

On May 11, Mayor Ben Winnick released a statement addressing the agreement and expressing hope that the relationship between the council and the police would be improved.

“I’ve reviewed the agreement between the City and the members of Law Enforcement Labor Services and realize that both sides made some tough concessions in order to come to this agreement,” the statement read in part. “I look forward to the City Council discussion on this during Monday’s special meeting.

“This was an incredibly difficult process to go through for everyone involved, but it was an important conversation to have as a community.”

Winnick also noted in his statement his continued belief that the WCSO contract would have offered more services at a lower cost, with deputies made up in large part by the current FLPD personnel. It also credited Forest Lake residents for their organized efforts regarding the issue.

“I’d like to commend the citizens Forest Lake for coming together like they did on this issue,” Winnick’s statement read. “I’ve lived in this city my entire life and have never seen the community come together like this before.”

On that statement, Winnick was in agreement with Councilman Sam Husnik, who along with Bain was against the proposal throughout the entire process.

“It brought people together like I’ve never seen before in my life, and I’ve lived here since 1953,” Husnik remarked.

Husnik was happy with the agreement between the city and the police and said he hoped the community could heal from the process and move on to other topics.

“I think it’s a win for the city of Forest Lake, and I certainly think it’s a win for the cops, and I hope that we can get back to the business of the city of Forest Lake,” he said.

Starry said he decided to pull the contract from consideration Wednesday morning, after speaking to union members and Parrish and finding that both sides still thought an agreement was within reach. He said he’d learned about the last-minute weekend negotiations between the two parties as he watched the May 8 meeting.

“From my point of view, there was still a chance,” he said, adding that he pulled the contract because he thought it would better incentivize a deal being struck.

Starry became the acting sheriff on May 1 and was sworn in on May 2, replacing the outgoing Sheriff Bill Hutton. Though he said the first week on the job was “interesting,” given the attention given to the contract, he said his primary communication with the public came May 11, when resident showered him with notes of gratitude. Though his participation has been behind the scenes, Starry said, he’d been paying close attention to the process unfolding in the city.

“I make sure I watch and I listen and I learn (from) down here and see how things are going,” he said.

Though he was proud of the WCSO’s service, Starry said he understood why residents would be concerned about what they considered “unknowns” in the sheriff’s proposal, stating that it was OK for residents to be concerned about a new process. Ultimately, he said, the deal the city and union reached seems like an amenable one to both sides and the public at large.

“I’m really pleased that the city and the police department were able to hammer things out,” he said.

Councilman Michael Freer declined to comment. The Times has placed calls to Parrish and Councilman Ed Eigner but had not heard back from them when the latest version of this story was published.

The complete joint press release and Winnick’s complete statement can be found at the city’s website.

The Times is still seeking more information about this story and this post will be updated when more information becomes available.

According to a press release issued by the Wyoming Police Department, it was 7:45 p.m. on May 7 when an officer attempted to stop a vehicle failing to display license plates. The driver fled at speeds reaching 80 mph, passing vehicles on the shoulder of Interstate 35.

The suspect originally fled northbound, but changed direction at the Stacy exit, leading police southbound I-35 into St. Paul. Officers from surrounding departments deployed several stop sticks in an attempt to end the chase with no success.

According to the press release, the suspect, later identified as Matthew Scott White, 28, of St. Paul, continued to flee south on I-35, but soon the chase came to an end at the intersection of Western and Thomas streets when White allegedly crashed into another vehicle and veered off the road. White suffered injuries as a result of the crash and was transported to Regions Medical Center for treatment. A female passenger fled from the vehicle but was not apprehended. The 39-year-old driver of the second vehicle was transported to Regions for an evaluation of possible minor injuries. A 29-year-old pregnant female on scene was evaluated by EMS and released.

White reportedly has several outstanding warrants in Washington County for third-degree possession of controlled substances, aiding and abetting a felony theft, stolen property, and fleeing peace officers. The vehicle he was driving had been reported stolen. Police say evidence of additional criminal activity was also found in the stolen vehicle. The case remains under investigation and has been referred to the Chisago County Attorney’s Office for charges.

The Minnesota State Patrol is investigating the crash, and Wyoming police are investigating the criminal conduct.

A Forest Lake man was recently charged with second-degree assault after he allegedly menaced a relative with a long knife or machete in a home on Bay Drive.

According to court records, on April 2, Derek Robert Olsen, 24, of Forest Lake, was in the garage of a home in the 900 block of Bay Drive Southeast, where he had been staying, when a relative came into the garage. Olsen, whom the relative believed to be under the influence of some kind of controlled subject, allegedly held a blade the victim identified as a 2- to 3-foot-long machete to the man’s throat, causing the man to believe that Olsen was going to cut off his head. The man told police he was able to talk to Olsen and calm him down, at which point Olsen took the blade away from the man’s throat and began using it to hit various objects in the garage. The relative was able to get away and call 911, at which point Forest Lake officers arrived, collected the knife and arrested Olsen. Olsen allegedly told officers he uses methamphetamine.

Sexual assault

In recent weeks, a trio of notable crimes in the Forest Lake area reached their sentencing phases, perhaps most notably the case of Michael John Quesnel, 24, of Hugo, who was sentenced April 17 to 7 1/2 years in prison (with more than a year time served) for his second-degree criminal sexual contact conviction.

Quesnel was originally charged in early 2016 after the mother of a 3-year-old female relative of Quesnel began to suspect that Quesnel had molested her in Forest Lake. The girl was showing physical signs that she had perhaps been sexually assaulted, and upon further investigation, police were told by the girl’s older sister that Quesnel had also molested her when she was younger.

During an interview with police, Quesnel reportedly admitted to the crime. “I don’t know why. It just happened. I snapped,” he said, according court records. Learn more about the case in the previous Forest Lake Times story about it at tinyurl.com/lx83zxd.

Assault

Another noteworthy case reached the sentencing phase when Shawn James Lehmann, 41, of Forest Lake, was recently sentenced to seven years of probation for second-degree assault. According to court records, Lehmann was arrested in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day in 2016 after threatening to kill two people in a home in the 800 block of 12th Street Southwest. According to witnesses, an argument between Lehmann and two other people in the home escalated to the point where Lehmann brandished a knife at the two others and said he would have “no problem killing you.” Another person in the home said Lehmann had similarly threatened her with the knife over the course of the evening.

Robbery

A third case of note was sentenced in February when Douglas Lamont Gatlin Jr., of Brooklyn Park, got slightly less than 3 1/2 years in prison after being convicted of simple robbery, receiving stolen property and damage to property. Gatlin’s arrest was due in part to some quick work by some diners in the Forest Lake Perkins who tackled the 25-year-old to the ground when they saw him steal money from the business’s cash register.

According to court records, in the early afternoon, Gatlin used a golf club to bash in the windows of multiple vehicles in the Forest Lake Wal-Mart parking lot. Shortly thereafter, he went to Perkins and grabbed money from a cash register there, stuffing about $400 into his pockets. He was grabbed by multiple customers and employees before he could leave, and they restrained Gatlin until police officers could arrive.

The following are other recent Washington County Court cases related to the Forest Lake area:

• Robert Cody Thomas, 26, of Wyoming, was sentenced Jan. 19 for a fifth-degree drug crime.
• James Richard Lindorfer, 29, of White Bear Lake, was sentenced Jan. 30 for aiding and abetting burglary related to an investigation by the Forest Lake Police Department.
• Justin Phillip Murphy, 34, of an unknown address, was sentenced Feb. 3 for receiving stolen property related to an investigation by the Forest Lake Police Department.
• Lloyd David Belmore, 29, of Ham Lake, was sentenced Feb. 6 for a fifth-degree drug crime related to an investigation by the Forest Lake Police Department.
• Jeremy Douglas Glem, 46, of Forest Lake, was sentenced Feb. 8 for terroristic threats.
• Thomas Daniel Stachowiak, 36, of St. Paul, was sentenced Feb. 16 for a fifth-degree drug crime related to an investigation by the Forest Lake Police Department.
• William Michael Temme, 50, of an unknown address, was sentenced Feb. 22 for a fifth-degree drug crime related to an investigation by the Forest Lake Police Department.
• Brandon Lawrence Gunderson, 22, of Forest Lake, was sentenced March 1 for fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle.
• Jeffrey Michael Brown, 51, of Wyoming, was sentenced March 6 for fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle.
• James Paul Miller, 59, of Forest Lake, was sentenced March 8 for terroristic threats.
• Jessica Rose Palomino, 19, of Forest Lake, was charged March 14 with a fifth-degree drug crime and DWI.
• Kyle John Tidd, 26, of Blaine, was charged March 15 with a fifth-degree drug crime related to an investigation by the Forest Lake Police Department.
• Patricia Lenore Howe, 47, of Forest Lake, was sentenced March 16 to aiding and abetting a second-degree drug sale.
• Timothy James Yaritz, 51, of Forest Lake, was charged March 20 with fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle and DWI.
• Alicia Joellen Kampf, 44, of Forest Lake, was sentenced March 23 for a fifth-degree drug crime.

According Minnesota State Patrol Public Information Officer Tiffani Nielson, a Waste Management truck rolled over this morning at at 8:48 a.m. at Hwy. 61 at Headwaters Parkway in Forest Lake. The driver of the vehicle, 62-year-old David Larson of New Hope, was airlifted to North Memorial Hospital and is currently listed in stable condition with non-life threatening injuries.

An inspection is currently being done on the vehicle in an effort to confirm that it was in proper working order, but according to police officials, Larson was driving too fast for conditions turning northbound to westbound.

The Times will continue to update this story as more information becomes available.

Applause abounded as the Forest Lake City Council made two votes May 15 to accept labor agreements for Forest Lake Police Department staff and to rescind its acceptance of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office proposal for contract law enforcement in the city. The new labor agreements last through 2019, effectively ending the months-long discussion on whether or not the city would disband the FLPD in favor of contracting for services through the county.

Lead-up

The votes at the special May 15 meeting came after a dramatic series of events in the prior week, kicked off by 3-2 council decision on May 8 to accept the WCSO proposal and disband the FLPD by this fall. Leading up to the vote, many Forest Lake residents had mounted an organized public movement to keep the department in place, and the backlash to the May 8 decision was immediate and vociferous: As the meeting adjourned, a packed house at the council chambers erupted, with some weeping, others chanting and still others hurling threats of harm at the “yes” voters Mayor Ben Winnick and Councilmen Ed Eigner and Michael Freer (read more about that meeting in the May 11 story “Council accepts sheriff’s proposal”).

Following up on the cries of “Not over yet” at the May 8 meeting, many local protesters organized to stop the council action at the next level: Washington County. Several residents attended a May 9 Washington County Board of Commissioners meeting to speak against the contract, while many more blanketed commissioners with phone calls and emails – more than 900 to Fran Miron alone, according to the District 1 commissioner.

“I’m trying to listen and absorb the attitude of the community toward this issue,” Miron told The Times, adding that he hoped his constituents would understand him not having the time to respond to each piece of correspondence individually.

Also on May 9, hundreds of local junior high and high school students from multiple local schools participated in an afternoon walk-out, converging on the grounds of the Forest Lake City Center to protest the council’s decision. The quickly-organized event gained statewide and ultimately national attention, and the morning of May 10, Councilwoman Mara Bain and one of the walk-out’s organizers, Clara Olson (who earned local accolades in anti-proposal circles in a May 1 open forum speech to the council), appeared on the Fox and Friends national morning show to speak against the recent vote.

Contract

By that afternoon, unconfirmed reports were circulating that WCSO, led by new sheriff Dan Starry, had withdrawn the office’s proposal from services. By that evening, those rumors were confirmed: the proposal had been pulled, and Starry, Miron, City Administrator Aaron Parrish, Police Chief Rick Peterson and representatives of the police unions had worked together to find a mutually agreeable labor contract to present to the council May 15. The police unions, both represented by Law Enforcement Labor Services, unanimously ratified the contracts May 11. A previous negotiation attempt had been made the weekend prior to the council’s May 8 meeting, and Starry told The Times he spoke to both Parrish and LELS and thought that the two sides could still find resolution.

“From my point of view, there was still a chance,” he said, adding that he pulled the contract because he thought it would better incentivize a deal being struck.

Starry became the acting sheriff on May 1 and was sworn in on May 2, replacing the outgoing Sheriff Bill Hutton. Though he said the first week on the job was “interesting,” given the attention paid to the contract, he said his primary communication with the public came May 11, when residents showered him with notes of gratitude. Though his participation has been behind the scenes, Starry said, he’d been paying close attention to the process unfolding in the city.

“I make sure I watch and I listen and I learn (from) down here and see how things are going,” he said.

The three-year contract for 2017 through 2019 includes a 2 percent salary increase starting this July, a 2 percent increase in 2018 and a 3 percent increase in 2019. The contract also keeps the retiree health benefits, a key point of contention in the city’s previous offer to the unions, and it provides for a development consultant to provide feedback on the operations and sustainability of the department, as well as establishing a stakeholder group that will bring two council members, the police chief, the city administrator and two police officers together to discuss conflict resolution and mediation.

The contract also includes changes in the arbitration process between the unions and the city, which was another sticking point with last weekend’s offer. Under the new contract, if either the unions or the city chooses to go to arbitration, the party that didn’t request arbitration can select whether it wishes to use the more conventional form of arbitration or “final offer issue by issue” arbitration, in which an arbitrator would select one of the parties’ offers on each issue under dispute – a process that often encourages parties to come to agreement before arbitration begins (both parties could also mutually agree to a final offer total package arbitration). LELS Executive Director Sean Gormley told The Times the changes in arbitration between the last offer and the current one were mutually beneficial.

“They are a little different, but all I can say to that is both sides are agreeable to the language change,” he said.

Reaction

The evening of May 10, the city of Forest Lake, WCSO and LELS issued a joint press release announcing the tentative contract agreement and expressing hope that relationships within the city would improve following a trying time for the community.

“I think we can build on the productive discussions we had this week and translate that effort into improving working relationships with city staff, City Council, and the community moving forward,” Parrish said in the release.

Winnick also released a statement, writing that he hoped the council-police relationship would improve and crediting the Forest Lake community with a remarkable organizational effort.

“I’ve lived in this city my entire life and have never seen the community come together like this before,” he said.

In an interview with The Times, Winnick maintained his belief that the city would have been well served by the WCSO proposal, adding that he was often discouraged during the process by what he saw as too much misinformation on the topic. As an example, he said, he still was getting regular correspondence from people who didn’t seem to realize that the sheriff’s office would be taking over police services under the proposal; those letters, he said, accused the council of voting to cut the FLPD with no replacement.

He added that though there couldn’t have been a legal guarantee that FLPD officers would have been hired by the county to work in Forest Lake, talks with WCSO left him very confident in that prospect – and in the prospect that the officers wouldn’t have been busted down in rank or pay.

“Our officers would have been taken care of,” he said. “We aren’t just firing these people. … We couldn’t have guaranteed all of them going over, but most of them would.”

Winnick said if there was one thing he would have changed about the process, it would have been to get rid of the fallow period in between the proposal request in late January and the city receiving the proposal in early April.

“That two months without information were tough because everybody only heard one side of the story,” he said. “I think we tried to stay positive. We weren’t trying to bash one side or not. I thought the department and the council were respectful through the process, and I hope we can build on that relationship.”

Bain and Councilman Sam Husnik were both excited after the labor agreement was reached, with Husnik saying that he hoped the city could soon heal and turn its attention to other issues.

“I think it’s a win for the city of Forest Lake and I certainly think it’s a win for the cops, and I hope that we can get back to the business of the city,” he said.

Both he and Bain, who was the first public official to break the news of the contract, praised the dedication of residents against the department disband.

“This has been only the result of this community banding together and showing its … undying support for the Police Department,” she said.

The evening of May 10, several community members and some off-duty officers gathered at Vanelli’s to celebrate the reaching of a contract agreement. Peterson stopped by later on in the evening, and – after being greeted by whoops and cheers from the assembled crowd – he told The Times that he was proud of the professionalism Forest Lake officers exhibited in a difficult time.

“They never gave up on their community,” he said. “They continued to do their jobs.”

He also thanked local residents for their outpouring of support over the last few months.

Meeting

The portion of the May 15 meeting dealing with the police issue was short, with discussion on the topic ending fewer than 20 minutes after it began. Freer moved to bring the council to a closed session to discuss in more detail the terms of the labor agreements, but his motion died after no council member seconded it. Winnick asked Parrish if the county gave any specific reason for pulling the proposal. Parrish said the WCSO indicated that it was responding to immense public feedback on the topic.

“I think the ones that were compelling and that stood out to me were that they wanted to encourage the community to work through this issue,” Parrish said. “They were appreciative and understanding of the support that’s been demonstrated in the community for the Forest Lake Police Department, and I think that’s probably the core issue there.”

The council then voted to reconsider the motion to accept the sheriff’s office proposal, followed by a unanimous vote against accepting the proposal. Shortly thereafter, the council voted 4-1 to accept the new labor agreements, with Freer voting against because he felt there were still problems with the contracts.

“It does not establish local control,” he said of the agreement. “There are still serious issues I have with the agreement, and unfortunately, we were not able to discuss it (in a closed session) at this point. Just know that I am voting against it because it does not give the chief the local control he needs to run the position.”

After the meeting, Freer told The Times that a big issue he had with the contract is that there isn’t a mechanism allowing the police chief to change officers’ shifts or to exercise more control over when officers are on given shifts. Instead, senior employees are given preference as to their shift assignments. In the contract proposed to the unions the weekend before the May 8 meeting, there is language that explicitly grants the chief the ability to assign officers to any shift, taking preferences from senior employees into account. That contract was rejected by both unions.

Freer, a human resources officer by trade, said that he has dealt with several comparable contracts for public employees of the state of Minnesota.

“Every single one of them gives you the authority to change people’s shifts,” he said, expressing dismay that the other council members did not address the issue.

During a meeting recess after the contracts were approved, Forest Lake Police Captain Greg Weiss gave a statement to the media in which he thanked the community for supporting the department.

“We’ve had this support from our city and our community since I was a kid here,” he said. “Our officers work hard; they love the city they police, they love the badge they wear, they love the patch they wear, and I could not be more proud that we’re going to be continuing to wear that badge and serving the awesome citizens of Forest Lake.”

He added that the department is committed to not dwelling on past disagreements and conflicts and moving forward to foster cooperation within the city and city government.

“It’s time to forge new relationships,” he said. “It’s time to move forward. It’s time to find a common ground of what the city leaders want and what we can provide and do it in a fiscally responsible manner to the best of our abilities, as we always have done.”

When the meeting reconvened, the council quietly got back to other business, including the approval of an approximately $50,000 project to install seven pickleball courts at Fenway Fields and a $3.43 million project (a savings of more than half a million dollars from the project estimate) to start repair and reconstruction work on phase one of the city’s long-brewing lift station rehabilitation initiative. Those stories will be covered in future issues of The Times.

Reflection

As the police issue appeared to be heading toward a close before the May 15 meeting, a few of the involved parties offered perspective on the process. Bain held a Facebook live event in which she answered some of the most frequent questions she’s received regarding police issues, including how to further support the department financially and how to respond to city officials (under state law, most city officials can only be recalled if they break the law or do not perform their official duties). Winnick expressed frustration at what he called the “disgusting” threats and hate mail he and his family had received, adding that he wished the level of discourse on controversial topics could improve.

“You get extremes from both sides where nobody’s willing to compromise. …We should be able to discuss things and work out a solution to whatever (the issue) is and not just get shouted down,” he told The Times.

Miron said he was proud of the leadership Starry had exhibited so early in his tenure as sheriff, adding his thanks to the Forest Lake residents who spiritually supported city and county leadership throughout the process.

“I believe strongly in the power of prayer, and I know there were prayers for all of us in leadership this whole time and I want to thank people for that,” he said. “I believe that helped. My prayer now would be for some compassion and healing to go on in the Forest Lake community.”

Amy Doeun
Wyoming Reporter

The Wyoming Police Department recently won the Innovation Award at the Chief of Police Association Gathering. Chief Paul Hoppe told the City Council about the award at the May 2 City Council meeting.

“We had two awards presented at last week’s conference,” he explained. “The first award was a department-wide award — Excellence in Innovation.”

Hoppe said the award is in recognition of innovative policing methods and is given to both a large and small municipal department. There are four criteria the award looks at: the level of innovation, effectiveness, ability to replicate and overall impact.

Hoppe then presented a video featuring him and officer Scott Thomas. Thomas talked about the department’s social media campaign, specifically through Twitter. Through this campaign the department works to share public safety information with a touch of humor. Some of the department’s tweets have been shared, or retweeted, thousands of times across the country.

“People resonate with tongue-in-cheek humor,” Hoppe said.

Thomas said that he often hears things like, “We follow you on social media and you guys are so funny.” Hoppe added, “We are just folks here with a unique job.”

The second award the department received was an individual award presented to officer Matt Paavola. Paavola received the Medal of Honor.

“I don’t even know what to say,” Paavola told The Times. “It was more of a team effort. I was on the SWAT team for Wyoming and Chisago County.”

Hoppe said that the criteria to receive the award was “a single event that involved sacrifice and voluntary course of action; it involved the risk of life and preservation of life.”

Hoppe then gave the background story that led to the award. A man allegedly wanted to commit suicide and threatened to “shoot up” the Almelund Applefest, an event that was taking place last September right outside the suspect’s door. The SWAT team, including Paavola, arrived in an armored vehicle, said Hoppe, and almost immediately, bullets started ricocheting off the vehicle. The suspect left his home and began advancing on the festival. Due to concerns for the festival-goers and officers on foot preserving the perimeter, Paavola exited the armored vehicle and fired twice at the man, who went down.

Then, Hoppe said, Paavola “quickly switched to a life-saving mode” with the suspect, maintaining presence of mind throughout the ordeal. The man survived, and his case is currently still in the court system.

“I would like to personally thank the officers for what they do,” Mayor Lisa Iverson said. “Thank you for what you do every day. To all of the Wyoming Police Department, I always say that we want to be innovative, and you are doing a really great job.”

New playground equipment

The Parks Committee has voted on new playground equipment for Banta Park. Originally, the committee hoped to put in new equipment at several parks, but a new parking lot and lighting at Goodview Park, which has been designated by the city as a “showcase” park, will take precedence with this year’s budget.

The city has recently seen a rash of vandalism at area parks. Public Works Supervisor Marty Powers shared that Banta Park had to have a slide and a platform removed and that a second metal slide was vandalized with rocks.

“If the equipment is not safe, I have no problem spending the money,” Councilman Joe Zerwas said of replacing the equipment. Councilwoman Claire Luger agreed.

However, Councilwoman Linda Nanko-Yeager did not agree. She was concerned about the budget.

“You will spend your budget down by three-fourths,” she said. “This is not something that I would do in my own home. This is not something I am comfortable with.”

She suggested a more modest option, but Luger said: “this is one of the most modest prices. Playground equipment is expensive. We need to appease the residents.”

“And be safe for the kids,” Zerwas said.

Councilman Don Waller was also concerned about spending and the lack of a budget. The Parks and Recreation Committee is working on a budget for 2018, but currently there is no line-by-line budget for 2017. Kevin Teel is the new chairman of the committee. He has been working for two months.

“The parking lot was not in our plans,” Teel said. “We probably could have done three or four parks (with our budget).”

“They (the park committee) have had a couple curve balls thrown at them and had to shift things around. … I think they are doing a great job,” Iverson said. “Mr. Teel was not present last year. I think we need to walk in their shoes and give them some time to get (their budget).”

The resolution to replace the equipment was approved with Nanko-Yeager and Waller opposing.

The Forest Lake Area High School and Century Junior High School went into containment status for about half an hour starting at roughly 9:20 a.m. May 26 after school officials were alerted to a social media post of a potentially threatening nature made by a high school student. The Forest Lake Police Department identified and secured the student, about whom no information has been released.

The schools returned to normal operations shortly before 10 a.m. No further information has been released at this time.

A Forest Lake man was sentenced last month to 12 years in prison for first-degree criminal sexual conduct. Timothy Gordon Deflorin, 62, was originally charged in late 2015 after allegations surfaced that he had repeatedly raped a young girl who was cared for at his wife’s day care center in the early 2000s.

Deflorin could be eligible for conditional release after five years.

According to court documents, a female in her late teens recalled the abuse after recent happenings triggered repressed memories of the abuse, which reportedly took place in the early 2000s at the day care center run by Deflorin’s wife, Debbie, in the 1500 block of 12th Street Southeast (Debbie Deflorin has since died). The teen told police the abuse, which lasted from when she was 2 years old to her fifth birthday, involved Deflorin taking her to his truck to have sex with her. The teen said that though Deflorin was often angry at others, he was complimentary of her and would buy her presents after abusing her.

Their final sexual encounter was more violent than the others, she recalled, with him sexually assaulting her in a bathroom and then lying on top of her until she blacked out.

The girl’s sister told police that she recalled one instance in which Deflorin pulled her underwear down during a ride in his truck.

Mail theft

Two men were recently charged in connection with claims that they stole numerous items from mailboxes around Forest Lake.

According to court records, James Edward Hagen, 25, of Little Canada, and William Edward Miller, 40, of Pine City, were arrested April 26. Both men were charged with one count each of aiding and abetting mail theft and aiding and abetting fourth-degree property damage.

The afternoon of the 26th, a man reported seeing someone in a Jeep stop at his brother’s mailbox, near the intersection of 202nd Street North and Ingersoll Avenue, and appear to reach toward the mailbox. The man’s brother had reported recent thefts from his mailbox, so the man ran outside to confront the person or persons in the vehicle, at which point the Jeep drove away.

The man allegedly followed the Jeep in his own car and told police he saw the Jeep speeding and driving off the road to pass vehicles. He ultimately saw the Jeep pull into a driveway and then crash through a fence, driving around in some brush before coming back out onto 202nd.

Police were then told by dispatch that a woman near the site where the men went off the road reported that a vehicle had driven through some pine trees, driving within 6 feet of her as she spent time in a turkey blind. Officers were inspecting the area when they received yet another call, this one reporting that someone was hiding behind a garage in the 20400 block of July Avenue. Officers found an abandoned car at the site, and shortly thereafter, Hagen and Miller reportedly emerged from the woods and surrendered themselves.

In the car, officers allegedly found “a large amount” of stolen mail from the north metro, as well as some mail from Wisconsin. Included in the stolen mail were checks, a passport, an employee ID and various papers and correspondence.

Assault

A Forest Lake man was recently charged with third-degree assault after allegedly severely beating a man last fall during an argument.

According to court records, Forest Lake Police first got word of the allegations against Erik Brandon Block, 18, on Sept. 22, 2016. Witnesses told police Block and two others had come to the victim’s home, in the 20900 block of Granada Circle North, after a dispute between the victim and one of Block’s acquaintances. Outside of the man’s home, Block allegedly punched him in the face and then kicked him in the face and stomach for about three minutes. The assault reportedly left the man with a fractured jaw, visual impairment caused by a concussion and damaged teeth that required root canals.

The following are other recent Washington County court cases related to the Forest Lake area:

• David Michael Cline, 47, of St. Paul, was sentenced March 23 for check forgery related to an investigation by the Forest Lake Police Department.
• Jacob Ronald Lewis, 30, of Balsam Lake, Wisconsin, was sentenced March 23 for a fifth-degree drug crime related to an investigation by the Forest Lake Police Department.
• Marcus Russel Kelly, 21, of Forest Lake, was sentenced March 27 for receiving stolen property.
• Joseph Leander Eggen, 23, of Forest Lake, was charged April 4 with a fifth-degree drug crime and obstructing the legal process.
• Tyler Montana Landers, 21, of Vadnais Heights, was sentenced April 5 for a fifth-degree drug crime related to an investigation by the Forest Lake Police Department.
• Erica Rose Wylie, 26, of St. Paul, was sentenced April 5 for a fifth-degree drug crime related to an investigation by the Forest Lake Police Department.
• Troy Anthony Dye, 35, of Circle Pines, was charged April 7 with fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle and receiving stolen property related to an investigation by the Forest Lake Police Department.
• Jamiroquai Pierre Dont’e Tyler, 19, of Forest Lake, was charged April 14 with a fifth-degree drug crime.
• Michael Allen Johnson, 25, of White Bear Lake, was sentenced April 17 for a fifth-degree drug crime related to an investigation by the Forest Lake Police Department.
• Christopher Conrad Palmer, 47, of Forest Lake, was sentenced April 19 for a fifth-degree drug crime with possession of a firearm.
• Brandon Robert Peterson, 37, of Forest Lake, was charged April 26 with a fifth-degree drug crime.
• Alysha Ann Jansma, 26, of Forest Lake, was sentenced April 27 for a fifth-degree drug crime.
• Troy Paris Payton, 20, of Anoka, was sentenced May 10 for first-degree criminal damage to property related to an investigation by the Forest Lake Police Department.
• Linda Lorraine Halliburton, 34, of Duluth, was charged May 10 with financial transaction card fraud related to an investigation by the Forest Lake Police Department.
• Matthew Jacob Carson, 18, of Forest Lake, was charged May 11 with aiding and abetting receiving stolen property.

Submitted photo
Firefighters from Isanti, Linwood and Stacy-Lent fire departments performed live fire training together in Oxford Township on May 20.

A Minneapolis man was recently charged in Washington County for allegedly sexually assaulting a female acquaintance several times over the course of a night in Forest Lake.

Lawrence Dwayne Vernardo, 40, was charged with two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and one count of kidnapping related to the alleged assaults, which court records state took place on May 17 and 18.

According to the criminal complaint, police began investigating the assaults May 18, after the victim reported that she had been held against her will and raped the previous evening. She said that Vernardo has visited her apartment, seemingly high on an unknown drug and hallucinating. After making accusations to her, she said, Vernardo allegedly forced her to go to her bedroom and remove her clothes, at which point he tied her to her bed and sexually assaulted her several times – all while her four children were sleeping in the apartment.

Police spoke with a maintenance worker at the apartment who allegedly saw the woman make her escape the morning of May 18 after he saw Vernardo dragging her into the apartment’s hallway by her hair. The woman was able to make her escape and rushed to her children, who were walking to a local elementary school, but she reportedly told the worker to call the police and that her youngest daughter was still in the apartment. The maintenance worker went to the apartment, at which time, he said, Vernardo let the worker in to take the woman’s daughter for protection. Before police arrived, Vernardo allegedly fled the scene, but he was later located and arrested.

After speaking further to the victim, police learned that Vernardo allegedly struck her and sexually assaulted her throughout the night, both using his body and a home appliance. She added that Vernardo allegedly threatened to slit the throats of her and her kids and at one point took pictures of her body mid-assault (and, she believed, sending the pictures to his friends). She was treated for her injuries at Fairview Lakes Medical Center in Wyoming.

The following are other recent Washington County court cases related to the Forest Lake area:

• Naomi Marie Anderson, 42, of Columbus, was charged March 15 with a third-degree drug crime.
• Daniel Joseph Kenney, 28, of Rush City, was sentenced April 6 for a fifth-degree drug crime related to an investigation by the Forest Lake Police Department.
• Shawn Riley Latessa, 33, of Forest Lake, was sentenced April 12 for a fifth-degree drug crime.
• Tyler John Plummer, 22, of Plymouth, was sentenced April 17 for a fifth-degree drug crime related to an investigation by the Forest Lake Police Department.
• Tony Lee Guizzetti, 42, of Forest Lake, was sentenced April 19 for violation of an order for protection and a fifth-degree drug crime.
• Brandon Wayne Smith, 33, of Forest Lake, was sentenced May 19 for third-degree assault.