SPIRIT LAKE, Idaho – The sheriff’s office has been partnering with local businesses to hold a series of events to provide opportunities for the public to engage with the elected sheriff, command staff, and deputies in an informal setting. On Wednesday morning, a ‘Coffee with Your Sheriff’ event was sponsored by Ziply Fiber and hosted by Brickel Creek Coffee in Spirit Lake. Attendees were offered a drink of their choice courtesy of Ziply Fiber from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Sheriff Bob Norris addressed several topics, including the recent brouhaha over the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) draft report that inaccurately reported Kootenai County Jail as ‘non-cooperative.’ Acting Deputy Director Matthew Cantrell of the ICE Seattle Field Office cleared up the matter and apologized for the error after Kootenai County showed up on a ‘sanctuary map’ created by the government watchdog group Center for Immigration Studies (CIS). The Kootenai Journal previously reported on the matter with an article that showed jail data refuted the ICE draft report, followed by an article with the apology from ICE.
In response to a question about whether the sheriff’s office would pursue additional agreements with ICE to set the groundwork to partner with federal deportation efforts should President Trump be re-elected, Norris confirmed his administration is seeking a 287(g) Agreement and will “absolutely aid” in removing foreign nationals who have entered the country illegally. Norris reiterated that he has previously testified in opposition to legislative attempts to provide driver’s licenses to illegal aliens and the Idaho Sheriff’s Association has routinely lobbied against such proposals that are frequently pushed by State Senator Jim Guthrie (R-Bannock County).
“I believe that illegals shouldn’t be afforded citizenship,” stated Norris. The county has been handling more federal detainees from eastern Wastington since the state prohibited its law enforcement agencies from working with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
After a member of the public asked about awareness campaigns concerning sex-trafficking, both Norris and Spirit Lake Lieutenant Eric Reade responded. Lt. Reade said the city has previously hosted an expert who has worked in law enforcement specializing in sex-trafficking investigations to put on training for both officers and the public. “Training is available to recognize risks,” stated Lt. Reade. Norris said his office would certainly send personnel to an educational training event. “Parents play the biggest role and social media is a huge problem,” Norris stated. He encouraged parents to be engaged in what’s happening with their kids, monitor the apps they have on phones, and be aware of the risk factors.
Several individuals who believe law enforcement is not prioritizing sex-trafficking made comments or asked questions. One woman who said she works with youth claims to have filed a complaint with the Rathdrum Police Department (RPD) alleging a minor was a victim of sex-trafficking, but nothing has been done. When we called RPD to confirm it received and are investigating a case involving a minor victim of sex-trafficking, we were told to submit a public records request and are awaiting a response. At the time of this publication, an email sent directly to Chief Tomi McLean has not received a reply. Since the topic of sex-trafficking and its risk to our children is of great concern to our community, we will be submitting additional public record requests to local law enforcement entities within Kootenai County.
Discussion ensued about the ability for a sheriff to deputize members of other law enforcement agencies. The general purpose of deputization is to allow sworn officers an extension of policing powers outside their jurisdiction which aids in work on task forces and mutual aid agreements. Idaho code 67-2337 already allows for three exceptions to jurisdiction and Lt. Reade explained the exemptions apply to fresh pursuit, request for aid, probable cause of a felony, and instances of serious bodily harm or death. At this time, the Spirit Lake Police Department does not have any officers with deputization from the sheriff, a circumstance that stems from a time when the city’s police force was down to only one patrol officer with no supervisor. Norris stated that he remains in communication with Spirit Lake Chief Mike Morlan regarding the situation and maintains good relations between the agencies.
Since the sheriff’s office patrols the lakes, Norris noted that the county’s very busy waterways have remained free of any vessel collisions, fatalities, or critical incidents since 2022. Deputy Doug Goodman was introduced as an officer assigned to district one which encompasses the northern part of Rathdrum, Spirit Lake, Athol and Bayview. Goodman has been patrolling the district for two years and was previously a school resource officer in Hayden. He said most of his calls involve enforcement of private property rights, land disputes, and welfare checks. Residents can request the business phone number for direct access to Deputy Goodman for non-emergencies.
Members of the community are encouraged to attend an upcoming town hall on September 4 about scams being conducted in our region.
