Image problem dogs police

COEUR d'ALENE - The Coeur d'Alene Police Department may be taking the heat this week, but a string of officer-involved shootings in the past couple of years has many law enforcement agencies concerned about their eroding public image.

Kootenai County Sheriff Ben Wolfinger and Undersheriff Dan Mattos met with Post Falls Police Chief Scot Haug on Friday to discuss just that.

"That's what we are doing here today. We were discussing how to deal with that image," Wolfinger said after a morning meeting at Calypso's Coffee in Coeur d'Alene. "You should start seeing some stuff come out on this early next week."

The KCSO became embroiled in controversy last week when two deputies were filmed in a cellphone video, accusing a car full of young adults of drug-dealing because the officers thought they heard one of them say "nickel sack."

The passengers in the car insisted they shouted at another car that was blaring the band Nickelback on the stereo.

The video went viral on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, where the original video had garnered 153,246 views by Friday afternoon.

In that case, the sheriff's office issued a press release saying that little information could be released because it was a personnel matter, which they say is confidential.

Disseminating information to the public is also a problem when officer-involved shootings occur. But, Wolfinger said, once these incidents are investigated and details of those shootings are made public, he is certain the public will see that these officers were just doing their jobs.

"We have to balance the public's right to know with what the prosecutor's needs are," he said, adding that is what the agency heads are assessing now.

Coeur d'Alene Mayor Steve Widmyer had not met Wolfinger, Mattos and Haug, but he expects to address the Coeur d'Alene Police Department's image as well.

He agreed with Wolfinger on the difficulty of balancing public information and confidentiality of an investigation.

"I think we should be releasing as much information as possible," he said, but added that it can be difficult in disciplinary actions.

Widmyer doesn't believe the department's officers are lacking in training, because their training programs are extensive.

"But when you have close to 70 sworn officers going through training, not all of them are going to follow the training," he said. "Don't get me wrong, we have some really incredible officers, but we have to have the ability to correct those who aren't following procedures."

Widmyer said the city's police chief selection committee has identified two finalists for that position, and he hopes to have the new chief hired later this summer.

He has talked with both candidates about community policing, and they are both in favor of that policing philosophy.

"We certainly will be reinforcing the community policing policy," he said. "But you have to balance that too. You also want to be known as a community that doesn't tolerate crime."

He said in a community like Coeur d'Alene that is attracting more and more people, it is important to find that balance.

"It's a whole new world out there," Widmyer said.

Since late 2012, there have been eight officer-involved shootings involving North Idaho law enforcement agencies.

In September 2012, multiple officers fired an estimated 77 rounds at a 19-year-old who had led them on a chase in Coeur d'Alene after shooting a city resident in the chest. The officers were cleared in two separate investigations.

Last June 12, two North Idaho officers shot and killed a man near the Idaho-Montana border in what was later determined to be a justified use of deadly force.

Last Aug. 25, a 35-year-old Dalton Gardens man was shot and killed by a Coeur d'Alene police officer in what was determined to be a justified shooting.

In February, a chase involving a suicidal Purple Heart recipient started in Coeur d'Alene and ended in Spokane Valley, where Washington authorities shot and killed the armed man.

On the night of June 6, three Coeur d'Alene police officers shot and killed a 28-year-old man. That shooting is still under investigation.

Then came the June 22 shootout on Interstate 90 that ended without a fatality. It is still under investigation.

Just this week, Sandpoint Police shot and killed a knife-wielding woman, and a Coeur d'Alene officer shot and killed a 2-year-old black Lab inside its owner's van in a restaurant parking lot.

Both incidents are still under investigation.

Widmyer said the CPD is going to do an internal review of the dog shooting and have it reviewed by a third party before releasing the report.

"We want to make sure that we have covered all of our bases," he said.