City Council Decisions

Ever get the feeling that the decisions at City Council meetings have already been made prior to the meeting? While the final decisions aren’t made until the Thursday night City Council meetings, there is often considerable discussion and sometimes a consensus reached in prior meetings. This is usually done through either a committee meeting or a council work session.

For police issues – either brought forward by city council members or the police department -- the first stop is the Public Safety Committee. The core of this committee is me and the two council member liaisons, Sharon Parry and Ida Hardcastle. Oftentimes other council members and the mayor will attend depending on the agenda.

This committee meets bi-monthly and is open to the public. Notice and an agenda is posted online. We’re meeting tomorrow morning at 9:30 in the police briefing room. It’s rather informal and no decisions are made; however, we keep minutes and it’s a good opportunity to flesh out the issues.

Occasionally, an issue will require in-depth study and discussion with the entire council. Those are conducted at council work sessions, held every other Tuesday as needed. These are also public and notice is posted online on the city's main webpage.

Public Records Request for 911 Tape

I’ve taken a little heat for releasing the 911 recording for the October 14 shooting. Just so you know, I really didn’t have a choice. The public records law has accompanying court rulings that narrowly define the exceptions on the requirement to release information. The main three exceptions that may have applied in this case are:

1. Interfere with enforcement proceedings

2. Deprive a person of a right to a fair trial

3. Constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy

I discussed this with the investigation supervisor, the prosecuting attorney, and the city attorney before releasing the recording. In short, as defined by the courts, none of the three exceptions above applied.

The only exception that sticks in my throat is the “unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.” The newspaper chose to publish a detailed account of the call and posted all 8 minutes of it online. I’m told that the person who called 911 told investigators that she would no longer cooperate with the investigation because of the public release. At this point, it likely won’t hurt the case, but it’s unfortunate. I also don’t like the chilling affect that has on people calling us for help.

On the other hand, it’s important that we’re open and accountable to the public. I also want the public to understand what happened so they’ll have confidence that we’re getting it right.

Regardless of my personal opinions, the bottom line is that it’s the news media that makes that determination, not the police. We can and do withhold certain information, but only as provided by law.

Hollywood vs. Reality

Rexburg PD Facebooked a great video on officer involved shootings from Oregon. It addresses some common myths and shows some of the differences between Hollywood and real life. Take 17 minutes and watch it.

Pocatello Chief Resigns

Pocatello Chief JR Miller resigned Wednesday night to return to an investigative arm of the Florida Governor’s office. JR was appointed Pocatello's Police Chief a few months before I came on board as Idaho Falls Chief - a little more than four years ago.

Did you know that the average tenure of a police chief is less than three years? It's a tough job and not for the faint of heart. Chief Miller has that toughness and integrity. He's also been a wealth of knowledge and I wish him the best.

By the way, wind/snow versus alligators/snakes? I think I’ll stick with the cold weather, though I must admit his timing is impeccable.

Third Police Involved Shooting in a Year

Friday, we had another officer involved shooting – the third in less than a year. While national statistics are not kept, this is certainly unusual for Idaho Falls.

This incident will be investigated by outside agencies as were the other two. Preliminary information indicates that the officers' actions likely saved lives, but we need to wait for a complete investigation. The Idaho State Police is the lead agency in the investigation and they are being assisted by other law enforcement entities. Once the investigation is complete, the prosecuting attorney will make the legal determination if the shooting was justified. It usually takes a few weeks.

Another Scam - Another Arrest

There are a million different kinds of scams, but this one illustrates a common theme. We arrested 26-year-old Jonathan M. Meng yesterday for the sale of a Harley Davidson that doesn’t exist.

The Ohio victim contacted us after he tried to purchase a motorcycle for $8,866 on eBay earlier in the month. The Idaho Falls seller initially instructed him to wire the money to a bank account held by an eBay agent. But was later instructed to cancel the wire transfer and instead wire it to a new account held by Meng as the other eBay agent had been in an accident.

The buyer said he was skeptical at first, but through an “eBay Live Chat” was assured by the seller that it was legitimate and once the money was received the motorcycle would be shipped to him. He was also assured the money would be held in the account until the buyer received and inspected the motorcycle.

Bottom line is the motorcycle never came and the buyer learned that the site was fraudulent.

Help Fight Crime -- Don't Create It

The prolific Seattle superhero, known as Phoenix Jones, made news headlines throughout the west this week. Not because he saved the residents of the Emerald City from dirt bags or the like, but because police arrested him for assaulting several people with pepper spray in attempts to bust up an alleged fight.

It’s an amusing story. I’m actually torn on whether to admire the guy for his tenacity to help fight crime or call him an idiot in his approach to crime fighting. The irony of the story is that Mr. Jones’ attempts to fight crime actually created more crime.

The Seattle PD had this to say about the incident:

“Our message has been the same from the beginning: If you see something that warrants calling 911, call 911,” Seattle police spokesman Det. Mark Jamieson said. “Just because he’s dressed up in costume doesn’t mean he’s in special consideration or above the law. You can’t go around pepper spraying people because you think they are fighting.”

The Idaho Falls Police Department encourages community involvement when it comes to fighting crime or community policing. It’s what assists the department in keeping our crime rates low. We don’t, however, encourage people taking the law into their own hands.

If you want to help the police in fighting crime, I’d offer these two suggestions:

1. If you witness a crime or are a victim of a crime, report it to police. Officers are highly trained to handle these situations and try and bring it to a good resolution.

2. Take an active role in crime prevention by considering organizing a neighborhood watch or by practicing crime prevention methods, such as locking doors/windows, educating children and adults about obeying the law or promoting public safety.

For more information on crime prevention, visit our website at idahofallspolice.com, IFPD Facebook page or ncpc.org. Remember October is National Crime Prevention Month, making a perfect time to start thinking about how you can help build a safe community.

Illegally Parked Cars

Stephanie posed a great solution to illegally parked cars. Think I can get the City Council to sign off on it? I'm sure Mayor Fuhriman would enjoy driving. :)

Final 2010 Crime Rates

The final numbers are in for 2010 crimes. In a nutshell, we’re much lower than the national average for cities our size. We’re higher in rapes and aggravated assaults, but lower in everything else – especially robbery and auto theft.

Notice this doesn’t include drug crimes. That’s because they aren't tracked the same way. Practically all reported drug crimes are the result of arrest, not illegal drug use. So it isn’t a useful comparison.

As a side note, we're making a ton of drug arrests. Check out our press releases and you’ll see what I mean.

Another Side to Police Work

[Officer Kent Hoskins talks to a group about his car and equipment during a police station tour]

You can’t be a police officer very long before a parent will ask you to “scare their kid.” That’s a bad idea. I love DARE Officer Kevin Pettingill’s description of a youngster’s first interaction with the police when Dad yells, “Get down, there’s a cop!” if they aren’t buckled in. The child might be too young to understand what a cop is, but they know it’s scary.

We don’t want our children to fear the police. In fact, as they grow older they are part of the partnership between citizen and police that keeps our community safe. While we’ll do the heavy lifting, police aren’t alone. That’s why we only need a handful of officers compared to authoritarian governments who need armies of police more bent on protecting the government from the people than the people from those who would do them harm.

To this end, I think it’s a great idea for young people to have contact with a police officer in a positive setting. In the last few weeks it seems like our phone has rung off the hook from people wanting to set up police station tours or officer presentations.

These interactions help educate our community on police duties and how they can work with us in keeping our community safe. It will also show the high quality of men and women who serve at the IFPD.

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