White's first year

COEUR d’ALENE — Police Chief Lee White’s first year as Coeur d’Alene’s top law enforcer was fraught with ups and downs, but White said for him, it’s been mostly ups.

When White joined the department Sept. 2, 2014, he stepped into a community relations quagmire.         The previous July’s officer-involved shooting of a dog that was inside a parked vehicle was still under investigation. Community support for the city’s police officers was wavering.

    That winter, White convened a citizen Use of Force Review Board, giving community members a voice in the process of analyzing officers’ actions.

    “When there is something not so cut and dry, they come in and review that,” White said.

    White said transparency with the community has been a priority since he joined the department.

    “A lot of times there’s this belief cops are running around trying to pull the wool over citizens’ eyes, and that doesn’t occur here,” he said. “They do phenomenal work here that the average citizen doesn't hear or know about.”

White is referring to the behind-the-scenes work and proactive policing the force has become accustomed to under his command.

    “What we have experienced over the past year is premium leadership,” said Sgt. Christie Wood. “It’s been an incredible experience. The morale is high.”

    White, a former U.S. Marine and the son of a cop, has a hard time taking credit for the department's successes in the past year.

    “I have people frequently come in and compliment me on my leadership style and what I am doing,” White said. “I always have to make a point that I am just one guy, I can’t even begin to take credit for the leaps and bounds the department has made.”

Wood said, when problems arise in the department, White sees solutions because he encountered similar issues at his previous post with a larger department in Mesa, Ariz.

    She describes White as progressive in his methods. The department had interactive crime maps detailing areas and the crimes committed within them. Wood said those maps were not used by the department previously.

    “He came in and said we will use it and analyze it,” Wood said. “Before we were very reactive. Since he’s been here we are more directive. We will stop the activity.”

    Last May, the department faced a devastating loss with the in-the-line-of-duty shooting of Sgt. Greg Moore.

    “Greg was mortally wounded and so were we,” Wood said. “In all seriousness, if we didn’t have him (White) to lead us, we were lost.”

    She said White not only took care of the officers during that trying time but also extended himself to Moore’s wife, Lindy.

    White said he was very proud of his department during the days following Moore's death.

    Though he gives credit to his officers, Wood said it was the chief who deserves the spotlight for his efforts. He took on the unthinkable, Wood said, and planned a funeral in just a few days.

    “We had to plan a first-class funeral. We had never done that,” Wood said. “We went there that day of the funeral with no prior planning. We just had to watch the chief.”

    “That kind of command leadership is amazing, that kind of strength is what keeps everyone motivated and wanting to come to work.”

White said for him it is important to build relationships with his force and citizens.

    “Somewhere in policing we got away from knowing the people we serve and protect,” White said. “My leadership style is a blend of community-based relationship building along with progressive ways of getting out there and fighting crime.”

    His style is showing results. According to a crime statistics report provided by his department there is a drop in crimes that usually have a victim associated with them.

    Comparing 2014 to this year, those types of crimes as a whole went down 16 percent. Included in those numbers are crimes such as forcible rape, which is down 27 percent. Property crimes are something that can have an impact on citizens from all walks of life and they are down from 671 reported last year to 545 in 2015.

    White attributes the success to his officers, and Wood said it is all due to the chief's leadership.

    When asked about the oddest case White has seen in the past year he referenced the goats that were brutally attacked on city property in July.

    “That was a little bizarre. Who goes around and stabs goats?” White said. “Unfortunately we have not made an arrest in that case yet.”

    White said he is proud of his officers and looks forward to serving as their chief for the next decade. He said he loves Idaho and enjoys being in a place where he can explore the outdoors and fish regularly.

    Though he has made strides with the department, he continually refers praise back to his officers and staff and their strong abilities.

“Sometimes as a leader all you have to do is go in with an idea,” White said. “Just plant that seed and let them surprise you with their ability and creativity, and they do fantastic things.”

Jamie Sedlmayer can be reached at jsedlmayer@cdapress.com.