Things That Make Us Smile

Smile #1: Okay, so maybe it doesn’t quite reach the level of dumbest criminals, but Tuesday, a woman tried to get into the courthouse with a stash of meth. She set off the metal detector and pulled out a plastic tube with meth in it. No ma’am, that’s not what set off the detector, but…

Smile #2: The woman decides to run and the deputy chases, but it’s a citizen who tackles her. The citizen had a history of being on the wrong side of the law, but stepped forward to help anyway. Cheers to him for doing the right thing and cheers to the police who had treated him right in the past – more evidence that we’re getting it right.

Awesome.

Has The Time Arrived?

Can you trust this man? Absolutely. He’s one of Idaho Falls’ finest.

On a trial basis, I’m allowing tightly trimmed goatees for our police officers. This is an action I’ve been contemplating for several years.

Wearing a goatee 30 years ago was considered a bad-boy counter-culture statement dating back to the beatniks in the 1950s and hippies of the 1960s. The meaning of the style has changed, but those of us in the older generation may not perceive it that way. Go way back and goatees were worn by respected leaders such as Abraham Lincoln.

Professional people of all walks of life – doctors, judges, school teachers, etc. often times wear goatees. In fact, many police departments across the nation are open to them and even the FBI now allows them on their agents.

From my perspective, they don’t represent the bad-boy look of the past generation, but they might to some people. I don’t want facial hair on a police officer to be a distraction for the public – even a minority of the public, unless it is a small minority.

Up until now, I’ve believed it was a matter of time before facial hair wasn’t equated with a bad-guy look. Has that time arrived? In four months, I'm going to reevaluate. In the meantime, let me know what you think.

Year in Review

Retirements:

Zuella Nelson – Sept. 16, 2011
Mike Zaladonis – April 22, 2011
Ken Knoelk – Dec. 31, 2011

New Full-Time Hires:

Joelyn Hansen – Community Projects Coordinator
Krissy Gittins – Crime Scene Technician
Shara Ovard – Property/Evidence Technician
Noe Guevara – Dispatcher
Danyelle Harker – Animal Control
Bryce Papke – Animal Control
Dustin Howell – Police Officer
Sage Albright – Police Officer

2011 Honors:

Police Medal: Lt. Curtis Stacey, Scott Killian, Mark Goodman and Joel Tisdale
Chief’s Commendation: Gabe Klepich and Sabas Flores
Captain’s Commendation: Jason Miller
Commander’s Commendation: Ken Knoelk, Dax Siddoway, Spencer Steel, Brandon Storer, and Rachel Rounds
Life-Saving Award: Jose Hernandez
Dispatcher of the Year: Libby (Anderson) Severinsen

Capt. Mark McBride graduated from the School of Police Staff and Command class #316 from Northwestern University Center for Public Safety.

Capt. Ken Brown graduated from the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy.

Rigby Chief Larry Anderson Retires

Rigby Police Chief Larry Anderson is retiring after 42 years of service. The amazing part is that he was chief for 34 of those years. That has to be some kind of record - especially since the average tenure of a police chief is less than three years.

When Larry first started in Aug of 1969, the chief handed him a gun and a badge and then left town for the week. That was the sum total of his training. Larry has since earned Idaho's top training award - the Executive Certificate.

Larry is an awesome guy and we're going to miss him. Check out this cool artwork below:

Top IFPD News Stories for 2011

Five incidents will likely be remembered as the “top” IFPD news stories for 2011.

1. March 22: The Idaho Falls Police Department began investigating the homicide of Anthony K. Camp who was shot and killed while fleeing from another vehicle pursuing him and his passenger. Four days later Geoffrey S. Elawadly was taken into custody for second-degree murder and two counts of aggravated assault after a police stand-off at a residence in the 800 block of Dalmation Drive.

2. June 17: A ballistic vest saved the life of Idaho Falls Officer Malin Reynolds after he was shot in the chest by 50-year-old Douglas J. Walters. Officers were attempting to apprehend Walters at his home after he fled from Idaho State Police during a traffic stop. Walters died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound during the incident.

3. July 28: Idaho Falls Police and the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office arrested three juvenile males in connection to the Gun Shop burglary and two armed robberies at the Common Cents and Los Adalbertos on East 17^th Street that occurred in July. The suspects were located in Nevada.

4. Oct. 14: Scott Daniel Parker is arrested on two counts of aggravated battery, felony eluding, and three counts of a felon in possession of a firearm after he fired shots at officers with an assault rifle. Officers came into contact with Parker after responding for a welfare check.

5. Nov. 26: Idaho Falls Police arrested two after a string of convenience store robberies that occurred in the city and county during the Thanksgiving holiday. The robbers were identified after local businessman Kris Johnson recognized one from a previous encounter.

What makes news and what’s important isn’t necessarily the same thing - more on that later.

RV Storage on City Streets

Currently, anyone can park a motorhome or trailer on the street provided it’s moved within 48 hours. Problem is some people circumvent the intent of the law by driving it around the block or pulling ahead a few feet.

Tonight, the City Council will consider an ordinance preventing these people from using city streets for storage of recreational vehicles and trailers. If the proposed ordinance is adopted, you’ll still be able to load and unload your camp trailer, but it can’t be returned within 500 feet of the same location within “two non-consecutive 24-hour periods in a 7 consecutive calendar day time period” – attorney speak for “overnight is okay, but not all week.”

If you have any concerns about the proposed ordinance, contact a member of the city council.

Door-to-Door Ordinance Revisited

Last summer, we investigated four cases involving door-to-door salesman behaving badly – very badly. One was arrested for burglary and two others for sexual assault. All of them were from out of town and most had criminal records.

This is one of those ordinances that has a lot more complexity than meets the eye because of first amendment issues. I blogged on that a few months ago. Take a look at the current proposed ordinance. If you have any concerns for or against, contact a member of the city council or attend the city council meeting Thursday evening.

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