RATHDRUM, Idaho – Kootenai County voters have four choices for sheriff in the 2024 General election, and Justin Nagel is one of three Independent candidates. Nagel garnered over 10,000 votes in his bid for Kootenai County Sheriff in November 2020 as a Libertarian candidate. He said most people don’t truly fit into any political party and believes the sheriff should be an average person, not a career law enforcement type.
“The role of a sheriff isn’t to be the top cop,” stated Nagel. “That is not the purpose of the position.” He explained that sheriffs are “elected to manage our law enforcement employees. It is a position created to ensure a system of checks and balances to protect you, the citizens, from low quality or improper police behavior.”
Nagel is a life-long North Idaho resident with family roots in farming and Nagle Road in Rathdrum was named in honor of his great-grandparents. He has been a diligent worker since his teens and is now a carpenter by trade and operates his own business. He said his administration would prioritize adherence to policies that place an emphasis on merit-based hiring and promotions. “The laws and policies simply aren’t being followed right now.” He would also work on changing the “God-complex” that many citizens believe permeates law enforcement, and focus on detention deputies over patrol deputies.
“The change of custody needs to be done right,” said Nagel. “There’s a huge problem with city police going out of their jurisdiction and making arrests.” He said this plays a role in the overpopulation at the jail and that detention deputies can refuse to accept a prisoner if the arresting officer lacked probable cause or operated outside their jurisdiction. Additionally, he would like the pay structure equalized. “Neither patrol or jail is more important and deputies in either role should be paid the same…They should be cross-trained, too.”
“The records department is so important as well,” he continued. “We have a known problem with records going missing, and it’s been an issue for 20 years now.”
Two immediate issues his administration would address are requesting the prosecutor’s office find the missing KCSO files, and find out why the ATF/FBI have ongoing, lengthy investigations relating to drug rings with no arrests. “At this point, are the federal agents crooked?” Nagel favors putting together a task force to investigate federal agents for not making arrests of anyone above the lower income brackets, but he would seek the public’s input first.
He is concerned that the common practice of focusing on DUI patrols and targeting young, low-income petty criminals places additional burdens on the criminal justice system, while organized crime and more wealthy criminals are overlooked, or worse, protected. “We need astute people watching for crime…we have conditioned police to not do proper investigations…it’s hard to be motivated when the system has favored investigations.” He said bad or lazy deputies can be weeded out by strictly upholding current standards and policies, and that deputies can be taught to act as the public servants they are instead of being unnecessarily demanding when interacting with the public. “Police often operate as if you owe them an answer, and that’s not always the case.”
Nagel is absolutely opposed to growing the surveillance state. His administration would not ask for additional cameras or license plate readers and he doesn’t believe the office can be trusted with retaining or gathering more information. “Record keeping is already terrible…the county just settled a lawsuit for missing files…the commissioners should have denied the request for more surveillance equipment immediately.” He explained that the lawsuit stemmed from the termination of a sheriff’s captain under former Sheriff Ben Wolfinger’s administration.
While he believes there is a problem with officers getting involved in situations unnecessarily and forming opinions without proper investigations, he doesn’t believe politicians should use people’s legitimate distrust of government to divide everyone into groups. “Manipulation of emotion is a bad way to set public policy.” Furthermore, he doesn’t approve of national issues being used on the campaign trail for local office. “You shouldn’t encourage the far-left and far-right behavior.” He thinks the left/right fringes exist because politicians ignore the center. “Find out why they are on the fringes, but don’t encourage it.”
He also stated that the current salary for Kootenai County Sheriff is excessive. “The average income in the county is $50,000, so $150,000 for the sheriff is bad policy.”
When it comes to political advocacy, Nagel doesn’t approve of sheriffs lobbying the legislature, a common practice in Idaho. “Sheriffs shouldn’t have more standing than you or me,” he stated. “But everyone wants to look to ‘experts’ instead of having discussions.” He thinks the Idaho Sheriffs’ Association showed its arrogance when it tried to get additional requirements for holding the office of the sheriff. Nagel said over half the sheriffs in Idaho lobbied to add Police Officer Standards and Training (POST) certification to the qualifications.
Currently, Idaho Code 34-618 states, “No person shall be elected to the office of sheriff unless he has attained the age of twenty-one (21) years at the time of election, is a citizen of the United States and shall have resided within the county one (1) year next preceding his election.” In other words, an average citizen.
Nagel believes public education is critical to holding law enforcement accountable. He would like to see all students trained to POST certification, as this would give them the knowledge that both police officers and criminals already have and use to their advantage. “POST is just civics and understanding the law, why shouldn’t we be training all citizens in this? It would level the playing field.”
With the recent influx of residents from other states, Nagel has a saying in response to suggestions from newbies, “If it’s a good idea for Idaho, an Idahoan would have thought of it.”
Voting in the general election has already started by absentee ballots. Early in-person voting begins on October 21 at the county elections department at 1808 North Third Street in Coeur d’Alene, and the polls will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on November 5 for voters who wish to vote in-person at their precinct location. Important ballot information can be found on the Idaho Secretary of State’s VoteIdaho.gov website.
