By David Knutson

St. Paul Pioneer Press

Federal officials conducting an investigation into the St. Anthony police department in the wake of the Philando Castile shooting are hosting three “community listening sessions.”

Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Justice announced it would conduct a comprehensive review of the department’s policies, practices and community relations.

“The goal of the listening sessions is to elicit feedback from the community on how the Saint Anthony Police Department can foster trust and strengthen relationships with the community,” the department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services said in a written statement. “An important part of the collaborative reform process is listening to the community’s perspective on their law enforcement agency.”

The community meetings will be:

•Monday, Jan. 9, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Falcon Heights Elementary School gymnasium, 1393 Garden Ave. W.

•Tuesday, Jan. 10, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the St. Anthony Village High School auditorium, 3303 33rd Ave. NE.

•Wednesday, Jan. 11, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Lauderdale City Hall, 1891 Walnut St.

Earlier this month, federal authorities said they would work with the St. Anthony department to make recommendations that could lead to departmental reforms. The review itself is expected to take eight to ten months, and the DOJ said it will continue to work with St. Anthony for 18 months to help the department implement its recommendations.

On July 6, St. Anthony police officer Jeronimo Yanez fatally shot Philando Castile, 32, during a traffic stop on Larpenteur Avenue in Falcon Heights. The immediate aftermath of the shooting was live-streamed by Castile’s girlfriend on Facebook, leading to nation-wide protests. Ramsey County Attorney John Choi filed a felony manslaughter charge against Yanez on Nov. 16.

The federal review is not meant to be an investigation of the Castile case but a look at the policies and practices of the department as well as its culture and interactions with the public.

Data released by St. Anthony weeks ago showed that, of the department’s 994 arrests made through early July this year, 47 percent of the suspects were black, compared with 46 percent who were white. Ten arrests did not include race data. According to the most recent U.S. Census data, the three cities the department patrols — St. Anthony, Lauderdale and Falcon Heights — are cumulatively 7 percent black.
—Distributed by Tribune Content Agency.