Governor Mark Dayton is strongly recommending a new $12 million law enforcement training fund be named after Philando Castile, one year after he was fatally shot during a traffic stop. Castile’s mother Valerie says, “he deserves it.” She says, “This is not about my son anymore. I said that from the very beginning. This is about the next generation of children, our future leaders…. because at the end of the day everyone wants to go home. The police wants to go home and the civilian wants to go home.”
Governor Dayton also appointed Castile’s uncle, Clarence, to the state Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training. Castile says the community must learn how to de-escalate conflicts just like the police. He says, “We need to have people who are willing to go into schools and go into rec centers and teach our young people how to handle situations when they get into ’em, and that’s one of the things that I plan on doing with the information and knowledge that I get from the St. Paul Police Department.”
Castile says officer use-of-force laws “can be looked at” but adds “I don’t think we need to go and re-write the whole book” because of the particular incident involving his nephew. Philando Castile was fatally shot by Officer Jeronimo Yanez during a traffic stop one year ago today.