Otter reappoints Idaho State Police chief

BOISE (AP) - The director of the Idaho State Police has been reappointed to his post for a four-year term, Gov. Butch Otter's office announced on Thursday.

Col. Ralph Powell, a longtime state trooper, was first appointed to head the law enforcement agency by Otter in 2013.

Powell faced criticism last year after it was revealed that despite a request from the Idaho Department of Correction, he declined to investigate allegations of understaffing and falsified reports given to the state by private prison contractor Correction Corporation of America.

The scandal surrounding the private prison contract is now under investigation by the FBI.