The House Transportation Committee voted yesterday to send the texting bill to the amendment process.  If the amendment goes through, it would eliminate the emergency responder exception to the proposed texting while driving bill.  See last week’s bl

Indecent exposure $500     Malicious injury      $500     Being placed under citizen’s arrest by an alert resident because you urinated on an IFPD patrol car that has a Watch Guard video system - "Priceles

Want to get a taste of what police work is really like?  Turn off the TV and come find out.  We’re accepting applications for the 36th session of the IFPD Citizen’s Academy.  This free 10-week class gives residents an inside look into the workings of law enforcement. Get hands-on experience with CSI, building searches, patrol tactics, SWAT, traffic stops, accident investigations,

Did you know your smart phone can tell you when and where you take photos?  This is a cool feature that can come in handy. But it also has a scary side effect as illustrated by this YouTube story.  The geocoding may stay with the photo, even after you post it online.  A predator can download the photo and figure out exactly where your six-year-old daughter lives and plays, wherever

The texting bill being considered by the Idaho legislature had an exemption for police and fire, but what’s fair about that?  You might be interested to know that in a recent vote by the Idaho Chiefs of Police Association; every single chief in Idaho agrees that officers don’t need to be texting while driving.  This statement of support for removing the proposed exemption is currently being

The Valentine card pictured above may seem funny to those not acquainted with domestic violence, but it’s a grim reality for those who are. Domestic Violence can be some of the most challenging and dangerous calls we go on. With most crimes, we require the victim be willing to prosecute before we’ll make an arrest, but there are a few exceptions such as in-progress crimes, child abuse and domestic

Last week, the Idaho House voted unanimously to outlaw electronic cigarettes for minors.  For those of you who don't know, e-cigarettes provides the nicotine fix minus the smoke.  It also replaces some harmful chemicals such as tar with other harmful chemicals such as diethylene glycol, the stuff in anti-freeze.Here’s a link to the bi

[At least two out of three got it right]    If there is a cross walk at a stop sign, be prepared to stop twice.  The law requires drivers to stop before a clearly marked stop line and/or crosswalk and yield to pedestrians.  But you may not be able to see oncoming traffic until you drive forward, which may require a second stop. Here’s how the code reads:79-807 (2) Except

Saturday, the Post Register ran a story headlined “Idaho Falls man has five misdemeanors dismissed.” So far, so good. But the first paragraph ends that the judge ruled “the man was wrongfully stopped by an Idaho Falls police officer.” This is not correct. The visiting judge denied a continuance requested by the prosecution which continuances are customarily accepted by our local

By Joelyn Hansen My boyfriend jokingly asked me last night if I was going to play “Dungeons and Dragons” for a third day at work. I laughed and said yes. Now, I’m not really playing “Dungeons and Dragons”, but what he’s referring to is my latest participation in the disaster response table top exercise. For the last three days, I, along with other government and emergency response representatives,

They are making another run at it.  The Idaho senate is considering a texting bill and a cell phone bill.  The cell phone bill might be a bit of an over-reach, but it is hard to argue against a ban on texting while driving. As a cop, I find nanny laws that protect us from our own stupidity offensive.  But I draw the line when someone’s reckless behavior endangers others, especially