Working together is better

COEUR d'ALENE - More teamwork.

The Kootenai County Sheriff's Office and the Coeur d'Alene Tribe reached an agreement that provides enhanced law enforcement services to both tribal and non-tribal members across the county.

The two agencies have been cross-deputized with the KCSC since 2005, but the new agreement ensures deputies can arrest tribal warrants on and off the reservation, just as cross-deputized tribe officers can enforce state warrants.

Major Ben Wolfinger, who helped to draft the agreement, said it was a neccessary step.

"It only makes good sense to work together to provide the best law enforcement services to all of the residents in Kootenai County," he said.

The sheriff's department noticed the gap late last year after the Tribe put its enforcement information into the Kootenai County system. Before that, they did not, and tribal warrants went unnoticed by the sheriff's department. The agreement cinches up the enforcement side of the shared information.

"Once we recognized it, the deal was in place," Wolfinger said.

Tribe Chairman Chief Allan praised the added teamwork.

"This agreement is a reflection of the great relationship that exists between the Kootenai County Sheriff's Department and the Coeur d'Alene Tribe," he said. "Public safety is about working together as a team."

The entire 14-person tribal police department has been certified by the Idaho Peace Officers Standards and Training academy.