By Joelyn HansenIt’s been an amazing year at the Idaho Falls Police Department. We celebrated the retirement of Chief Steve Roos and the appointment of Mark McBride as the new Chief of Police. Along with the many activities, events and projects this year, the department also welcomed two new officers, Chris Reed and Earl Laughter, to the police force.To highlight 2013, I’ve put together a slide show
By Joelyn HansenSome of the best news that comes out of this department is when we recognize and award officers for exceptional work! This past week four officers — Craig Morgan, Jeff Pratt, Curtis Bateman and Sgt. Scott Killian — were awarded the Commander’s Commendation for their work in solving a home invasion robbery and multiple burglaries that occurred this past fall.These guys were instrumental
By Joelyn HansenAs we get closer to the New Year I’ve had the opportunity to look back at everything the police department has been involved in throughout 2013. This includes the many different projects completed and accomplished.It’s fitting that the department now unveils its latest completed project — the new and updated website design — as we get ready to begin a brand newyear. Months
By Joelyn Hansen When a child’s smile widens a little further and says, “Santa knew my name”, you know everything we do to make Shop with a Cop a lasting memory is worth it. It’s moments like this that remind you that it’s the “little things” that matter to a child.For 20 years the Idaho Falls Police Department has proudly participated in the annual Shop with a Cop program to make a child’s
Police Investigate BurglariesIdaho Falls Police are investigating a series of burglaries that have occurred at construction job sites in the 6300 block of Glen Abbey and the 300 block of North Pointe.The thefts included $1,500 in lumber, $800 in tools and a $100 light fixture.According to reports, the unknown suspects broke into an unfinished home in the 6300 block of Glen Abbey and stole tools and
Denice Laughter pins a police badge onto her son, Earl, during his swearing in ceremony on Monday.Officer Laughter Sworn InIdaho Falls Mayor Jared Fuhriman officially swore in the police department’s newest officer Earl Laughter in the mayor’s chambers Monday morning.Laughter was selected among multiple candidates that tested and applied to the department this past June.“Today is a good day,
Police Investigating Skyline School VandalismIdaho Falls Police are investigating thousands of dollars in damage to Skyline High School as a result of vandalism that occurred over the weekend.According to reports, the unknown suspect or suspects broke into the school, located at 1767 Blue Sky Drive, and shut off an electric breaker causing the pipes in the school’s heating system to freeze sometime
Police Investigate RobberyIdaho Falls Police are investigating a robbery that occurred around 9 p.m. Thursday night in the 500 block of Vassar Way.The suspect was described wearing a multi-colored ski mask, dark colored ball cap, dark colored zippered jacket and a dark colored sweat or pajama pant. The suspect is believed to be about 5’6” tall and skinny build.According to reports a 16-year-old delivery
Police Investigate Burglary Idaho Falls Police are investigating a burglary at A to Z Family Services, Inc., that occurred late Monday night.According to reports, officers responded to the business, located at 380 N. Capital, Tuesday morning for a report of a break-in. The unknown suspect or suspects entered the building by breaking the glass on the front door.The suspect took an undisclosed
IFPD Investigates Trailer and Snowmobiles Theft The Idaho Falls Police Department is investigating the theft of a trailer and four snowmobiles taken from the 800 block of Mercury sometime this weekend.According to reports, the owner of B&K Professional Services told police that sometime between Nov. 23 and Nov. 24 an unknown person broke into a locked compound and stole a red Haulmark
IFPD Cites One for Selling Alcohol to Minors The Idaho Falls Police Department assisted the Idaho State Police Alcohol Beverage Control in compliance checks last week that resulted in one citation for individuals selling or serving alcohol to minors.An employee was cited at the Sunnyside Travel Plaza, 3365 W. Sunnyside Road.The compliance check was done on November 22. Checks were completed at
Police Investigate BurglaryIdaho Falls Police are investigating a burglary at the Idaho State Liquor Store on First Street that occurred early Tuesday morning.According to reports, officers were dispatched to the store, located at 190 First St., around 12:41 a.m. for a burglary alarm. Upon arrival officers found the east window shattered. Officers cleared the building and didn’t find anyone inside.Eleven
Idaho Falls Mayor Jared Fuhriman officially swore in the police department’s newest officer Christopher Reed in the mayor’s chambers Tuesday afternoon. Reed was selected among multiple candidates that tested and applied to the department this past June. “You’ve risen to the top and you’ll fit well within our values,” Idaho Falls Chief Mark McBride said during the ceremony. “We’re going to
By Joelyn Hansen A couple of weeks ago, the Post Register printed an article regarding a "YouTube" video that claimed the IFPD was racists. Last week, Chief McBride submitted an editorial to the paper regarding the article and the situation highlighted in the video. If you missed the column in the paper, here it is again: "I received several comments Thursday regarding
By Joelyn Hansen Last week Chief McBride and his wife, Sandra, celebrated 40 years of marriage. That's quite a fete considering law enforcement careers tend to be tough on marriages. According to an article from the Police Chief Magazine, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Center for Health Statistics, in 2005, declared that 48% of marriages failed in the
Officer Bart Whiting receiving the Idaho American Legion Officer of the Year Award Officer Mark Goodman By Joelyn Hansen This post is a bit late -- OK a lot late! But, it's too important to not blog about a few accomplishments of couple of our officers in recent months. I need to start out by saying that we have really good police officers working at the PD. They work hard and do a lot for
By Joelyn Hansen Here's a few pictures from Wednesday night's Community Night Out. By the turn out and the overall comments, I'd say it was a successful and fun night. If you missed it, you better make sure you come out to it next year! I'd like to take all the credit for it, but, in reality the success of this event really belongs to the many people that participate and
The IFPD command post served as the nerve center for dispatch operations after the building was temporarily evacuated. Inside the command post computers were set up to assist with operations. Dispatch operations returned to "somewhat" normal Tuesday afternoon. For less than 24 hours our dispatchers managed emergency response calls from the inside the IFPD command
Last week I posted the news about Officers Kevin Pettingill and Ken Zaug receiving the Idaho Falls Club Service to Youth Award. The news garnered a lot of response from the public. I shouldn't be surprised. These two men have spent a lot of time working with the Idaho Falls youth through the D.A.R.E. program, so they have have the opportunity to impact a lot of lives.
Come test for the Idaho Falls Police Department! The Idaho Falls Police Department is a great place to work! So make sure you don't miss your chance to become part of the team!
In less than 10 minutes on Monday the IFPD officially commissioned Lt. Joe Cawley to the rank of captain, Sgt. Bill Squires to the rank of lieutenant and Senior Patrol Officer Scott Killian to the rank of sergeant. The ceremony was brief but in no way reflected how proud the IFPD is to bestow these great honors on these three fantastic officers. They are all a great reflection of the caliber
A message from Chief Mark McBride: To start off, I’d like to say that in any occasion the last thing an officer wants to use is his gun. But, in those quick moments when that officer must protect themselves and others, lethal force is sometimes the only choice. Officers are trained to always think ‘Safety First’. We want our officers to go home each night safe and unharmed. We also want
Harvey "Ed" Gord stands center as his great-granddaughter reads a special tribute. By Joelyn Hansen When we hired Harvey Gord last year to work part-time at the police department it was a sad moment for the Citizen's Watch Patrol. He was the backbone and really stirred people to action, plus he did a lot of things for the program to keep it going. The
By Joelyn Hansen Last night I was reminded of how much I love my job. I had the great pleasure to honor some very deserving folks for their volunteer time. I even managed to keep it a surprise about their awards! In 2012, the CWP volunteered approximately 1500 hours of time to the community and the department as they assisted with abandoned vehicles, graffiti abatement, special events,
By Joelyn Hansen The old nursery rhyme says the cow jumped over the moon. But, in our police tale, the cow jumped over the patrol car. A loose cow in town proved to be more than what the officers expected as this bovine managed to lead officers through the alleys and streets of town for quite some time before they finally captured it across from the YMCA. This isn't the first
By Joelyn Hansen Last week Idaho Falls high school students learned about the affects of teen drunk driving. Teens were randomly pulled from their classroom and were treated like they were dead. They were isolated and were allowed no contact with the outside world. The week culminated with a mock DUI crash. Students watched as firefighters rapidly extricated victims
By Joelyn Hansen I don't know Miss Teen Idaho Falls Ashley Traughber personally. But, I must say that in my limited interaction with her, I was impressed with her motivation and determination to raise awareness about child abuse and neglect. Yesterday, in front of a small crowd gathered outside the Bonneville County Courthouse steps, 13-year-old Ashley urged
By Joelyn Hansen Thursday afternoon I walked away from the 3-day exercise tired, dusty and elated that it was over. And I didn't have to do any manual labor! So, imagine what the others involved felt like. The scenerio for the exericise was definitely worst-case scenerio. It started out as a routine warrant service at a house with police that escalated into finding
