Forest Lake patrol officer Matt Smith and a supporter hug after the Forest Lake City Council’s May 8 decision to contract with Washington County for law enforcement services — a move that will lead to the disbanding of the Forest Lake Police Department if and when it is implemented.
The tears flowed as freely as the shouts 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 disbandment 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
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News and other stories about real people, places, and events in Forest Lake and nearby suburbs.