Support Hayden in its public safety request

Forget the scare tactics.

While long-term crime rates in Hayden are increasing, there are no invasions of drug-crazed rapists and pillagers to ward off.

Neighborhoods are, generally speaking, clean and safe. Hayden is a beautiful community of 15,500 spread out over 10 square miles and it’s growing, just like everyplace else around here. But with growth come challenges.

The question Hayden voters must ask themselves is, Do I want to be proactive in protecting the people and property in my city, or do I want to wait until crime rates soar and serious damage is done? We think the answer is clear: Be proactive. Support the city’s request to increase its law enforcement muscle now.

Hayden has no police department, so it contracts with the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office for protection. Presently, Hayden pays for 3.5 deputies — that half is a school resource officer.

The Nov. 5 ballot request for four additional deputies would give the city 24/7 assigned law enforcement coverage, which is not the case now. It takes seven to eight officers for 24/7 coverage because of the need to staff three shifts, time off and so on.

“There have been times this year when there is no police coverage because the county officers are busy elsewhere,” confirmed Brett Boyer, Hayden’s city manager.

So is asking for around-the-clock coverage unreasonable? That seems like a starting point for public safety, not a pie-in-the-sky scenario.

Roughly doubling its police force isn’t cheap: Doing so would increase the base budget by $403,506 annually. But as Hayden grows, residents have every right to expect that their families and their property should be protected, and they should be willing to pay for that protection.

Not only will more deputies improve overall public safety, but response times should improve significantly. The average response time to a call is now 9 minutes. When you need a cop, chances are you need her or him now, not in 9 minutes.

While $400,000 is a big bite, consider the tax dollars Hayden has been spending compared to some of its neighbors. In 2018, Hayden spent $19.46 per citizen for patrol officers. Post Falls spent $187.33 on law enforcement per citizen (patrol only), Rathdrum $236.91 and Coeur d’Alene $289.50. Yes, there’s room for Hayden to grow in the right direction.

That $400,000 amounts to about $4.25 per month on a $300,000 Hayden property. Again, that doesn’t look like a red flag of excessive spending by a long shot.

Hayden city officials have worked hard to determine the appropriate level of public safety to ask citizens to support. An outstanding citizen task force put in time and effort to ultimately recommend adding four deputies to cover Hayden. Members of the task force will be paying the higher taxes, too.

The Press encourages Hayden citizens to vote for the law enforcement base budget increase on Nov. 5, or earlier if you’re voting absentee.

For more information, feel free to call the city at 208-772-4411 or go to: cityofhaydenid.us