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ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — JANUARY 31, 2026 13 <br />happened here. There is fear for our students and our vulnerable populations. One of the concerns <br />she has is, as we look to build some ordinances or City policy, how do we avoid creating a false <br />sense of safety. Do we go forward and communicate appropriately that there isn't the level of <br />safety people are hoping for? There will need to be some discussion around how the community <br />feels regarding safety. She has looked at other cities who are ahead of us with this information. <br />She saw some great work that has been performed. Some of the considerations include making <br />sure that any law enforcement, regardless of who they are, has a body worn camera on them. She <br />saw prohibition of law enforcement using face coverings unless it is needed for a medical <br />emergency. She has seen requirements for identification upon request, including but not limited to <br />the officers last name, badge number or some similar identifier, when requested by a member of <br />the public. She's also seen use of City owned properties is prohibited. She is interested in having <br />similar conversations and discussions about what we can do in the future about notification of <br />activities when law enforcement is in our city. She doesn't know how enforcement would look. <br />She thinks it's important to discuss the detention centers. She doesn't know if our current <br />ordinances restrict that or if that is something we need to put a moratorium on. She has heard <br />comments in the past regarding making Rice Creek Commons into a gravel mining pit. That isn't <br />the flavor we want for Arden Hills and we certainly don't want to be know as the detention center <br />for ICE. She would like to have those conversations. She heard tonight that we need greater <br />transparency around the RCSO and the activities they are seeing and how they will support our <br />community. She heard comments and would like to consider at a future meeting if we should <br />remove Spring Hills Suites as one of the City's representatives with the Gateway Visitors Bureau. <br />There is a clear separation ordinance that defines what Staff's role is. That is appealing to have a <br />conversation around. She heard creating a working group related to equity and humanitarian <br />work. She said someone also requested specific communication from the mayor, stating a <br />message of support. She said those are the things she heard tonight. She said she would like <br />discussion at the February 9 meeting about scheduling a work session at the end of February to <br />continue building on the conversations that happened today. <br />Councilmember Weber said he hadn't realized there would be an opportunity for <br />Councilmembers to speak during this meeting when he spoke earlier. He thanked everyone for <br />tonight's discussion. He thought a lot of people did phenomenal research. He received a lot of <br />emails instructing Council to look at other ordinances. His take is, if another city is doing it, we <br />should be doing it, too. He didn't hear anything that he didn't support tonight. There were things <br />brought up that he hadn't considered. Knowing we have federal property near Rice Creek <br />Commons, we can't prevent them from doing that. However, it is historically the federal <br />government's policy to reach out to the city for permits. To the point of ICE purchasing land to <br />create detention centers, he thinks we treat it the way we approached data centers. It's a flat no. <br />With the exception of RCSO who is headquartered here, there is no reason for Arden Hills to <br />allow any type of detention center. He said a commenter talked about the City of Shoreview's <br />Human Rights Commission. He reached out to a Councilmember in Shoreview to ask if they are <br />going to put something through. It happened so fast. He had hoped to participate in that process so <br />he could speak to their Human Rights Commission. He thinks putting it through that whole <br />process and giving it the commitment it deserves. Given these times, it is worth exploring if <br />Arden Hills residents are interested in a similar commission. It would require council discussions <br />and may take a little work, but he is willing to look into doing something like that. Over the past <br />months we've seen how Hennepin County and the City of Minneapolis have responded. He thinks <br />their actions didn't match up with their words. He understands the position they are in. Their <br />responsibility is public safety and that's more than just responding to calls; but ensuring safety <br />especially in the face of an aggressive bad actor. He and Councilmember Monson met with the <br />