St. Anthony police will once again patrol the City of Falcon Heights.
The Falcon Heights City Council voted Thursday night in favor of entering a contract with the St. Anthony Police Department for the first time since 2017.
"I'm looking forward to returning to a community policing model for our community, and I think that our community is wanting to see that return as well," Falcon Heights mayor Randy Gustafson says. "And this gives us a chance."
The partnership ended following the killing of Philando Castile in 2016 by Jeronimo Yanez of the St. Anthony Police Department during a traffic stop.
Castile, who was licensed to carry a firearm, told Yanez that he had a firearm. After some back-and-forth, the officer fired seven close-range shots at Castile, hitting him five times and killing him.
Immediately after the shooting, Castile's girlfriend Diamond Reynolds, who was in the car, posted a live stream video on Facebook.
Yanez was charged with second-degree manslaughter and two counts of dangerous discharge of a firearm, but after five days of deliberation he was acquitted of all charges in a jury trial on June 16, 2017. Yanez was immediately fired by the City of Saint Anthony after the verdict. Wrongful death lawsuits against the city brought by Reynolds and Castile's family were settled for a total of $3.8 million.
St. Anthony officers will return to Falcon Heights starting March 1 of 2025. They'll initially patrol eight hours per day and respond to emergency calls.