'Hostile Mob' Present As Forest Lake Voted To Disband Police

FOREST LAKE, MN — Forest Lake's City Council voted to disband its police force Monday. The controversial 3-2 vote also means the city will contract its law enforcement needs from Washington County. The Forest Lake Community Center was filled with hundreds of people for the meeting. Attendees yelled and booed when the vote was taken.

“This was a very hostile mob,” Mayor Ben Winnick told the Pioneer Press after the meeting. “We expected a large crowd, but we didn’t expect the hostile reactions like that. Last week everybody was quite civilized, for the most part.”

“This is an opportunity for the city and the county to work together for the mutual benefit of our residents by saving them a significant amount of money and providing increased patrol and depth of services that we, as a city, could not provide for them,” Winnick said of the vote.

“This is going to be an increasing trend,” he added. “It’s already a growing trend nationwide. The efficiencies of a large department of 100,000-plus people provides a level of efficiency and a depth of services that everybody should get.

Winnick, who supported the vote, said the vote was hard but necessary. The five-year term begins January 2018, though city officials told KARE 11 that the sheriff's office is expected to begin in September.

The Forest Lake Police Officers Union said in a statement Monday they rejected an offer from the city that would have cut benefits for officers. The union said they hoped discussions would continue, but the city said the rejection meant the city council would have to disband the police department.

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