COEUR D’ALENE – Sheriff Bob Norris has started hosting “Coffee with Your Sheriff” events in communities throughout Kootenai County in order to create an open dialogue between the sheriff’s office and local residents. On Wednesday, January 24, 2024, Norris and several of his deputies and command staff enjoyed a well-attended event at Bakery By The Lake in Coeur d’Alene.
During the event, attendees spoke in small groups with members of the sheriff’s office and each other, as well as posing direct questions to the sheriff. When addressing a question about community priorities, Norris said that surveys conducted by his office show that American citizens in Kootenai County are primarily concerned with issues stemming from illegal foreign nationals and drug trafficking.
Norris says the drugs in our community can be traced directly to the southern border, coming here via trafficking routes through the Tri-Cities into Spokane, Washington, and then across the state line into North Idaho.
“Regular traffic stops are now leading to the discovery of 1,000, 2,000, even 10,000 fentanyl pills,” stated Norris. “Fentanyl is absolutely the number one issue impacting our community today.”
Norris pointed out that 80 percent of the inmates in the county jail are facing felony charges, while 20 percent have misdemeanor charges. According to Norris, this is a significant shift compared with fifteen years ago. He also reiterated that 98 percent of the inmates have substance abuse problems.
When it comes to working with the federal government on the FBI’s drug enforcement task forces, Sheriff Norris has declined to send deputies to participate, telling the department to “close the southern border, and we’ll have a conversation.” Instead, Norris has deputies working drug investigations in coordination with multiple other law enforcement agencies in the region.
On Thursday, February 15, 2024, Norris will host a community conversation event where he will delve deeper into issues surrounding illegal foreign nationals, including the push by some Idaho legislators to give driver’s licenses to illegals. He will also address the active shooter policy, mandatory minimums, petty theft limits, and social issues. This event will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the American Legion Post 143 in Post Falls.
The next “Coffee with Your Sheriff” event will be held in Athol on Tuesday, February 6, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. at the Super 1 Foods store.
