2020 CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE: Kim Edmondson

NAME: Kimberly (Kim) Edmondson

RUNNING FOR: Kootenai County Sheriff

CITY OF RESIDENCE: Unincorporated area of Hayden

DATE OF BIRTH: February 12, 1968

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND:

Master of Arts (Organizational Leadership) – Gonzaga University, Spokane, Washington, 2015.

Bachelor of Science (Interdisciplinary Studies) – Lewis Clark State College, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho Campus, 2012.

Associate of Applied Science Degree (Commercial Graphic Design) – North Idaho College – Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, 1990.

MILITARY EXPERIENCE: N/A

EXPERIENCE IN ELECTED OR APPOINTED OFFICES:

Major – Jail Bureau Commander: Appointed to the rank of Major by Sheriff Ben Wolfinger in 2014 and assigned as the Jail Bureau Commander.

Idaho Jail Administrators Association – Past President and Executive Board Member

North Idaho Fair and Rodeo Foundation – Past Executive Board Member

FBI NAA Montana – Past President and Executive Board Member

YEARS AS IDAHO RESIDENT:

I moved to Coeur d’Alene in 1987 and lived in town briefly, until buying a home north of Hayden in 1988.

FAMILY:

My husband is Andy Edmondson, and he is a Coeur d’Alene native. My son is Ken and he was born in Spokane, but raised in Kootenai County since he was one year old. My 10 year old granddaughter, Hunter, was born at Kootenai Health and she goes to school in Kootenai County.

HOBBIES:

My husband and I raise cattle and ride horses. I enjoy gardening and my chickens. My favorite times are those spent with my family, especially when we can just enjoy one another’s company at home on the ranch.

WHY ARE YOU RUNNING FOR OFFICE?

Kootenai County is certainly changing; we are growing quickly. We are seeing a lot of changes because of that growth. And, although the community is growing and changing, our agency has not kept up with that pace.

Many people are moving here because of our way of life, our values, and who we are. I want to help maintain that feeling that is Kootenai County. Change needs to happen, but it needs to happen thoughtfully and respectfully with respect for both our community and our agency. That changes are made with grace is very important to me.

Because I’ve been in the community for over 30 years and with the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office for 28 years, I understand the culture of both the community and the agency. I feel that I am the best candidate to be able to take the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office into the future so that it can become the agency it needs to be for our growing community.

These are the reasons that I’m running for Kootenai County Sheriff.

WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THREE OF THE BIGGEST ISSUES YOU’LL FACE?

The three biggest issues that I’ll face as Sheriff are various issues related to mental health in our community, the rapidly growing population of Kootenai County, and an aging campus with a jail that is quickly approaching capacity.

IF ELECTED, WHAT STEPS WILL YOU TAKE TO RESOLVE THESE ISSUES?

Although we may not be able to ‘resolve’ all of these issues, we need to be present and engaged in each of them in order to be part of the solution. In regards to mental health in our community, we need to be proactive in how we address mental health needs. I see the Sheriff’s Office being actively involved in the community’s mental health by using models currently used in other communities where mental health teams are present to be able to help when our Patrol Deputies are encountering people during a mental health crisis. Hopefully, through cooperative efforts with community resources, we can turn those encounters into opportunities to help members of our community find access to the resources they need. Doing so will be proactive as a lot of the mental health issues that we deal with now can be linked to suicide and drug and alcohol abuse issues which also plague our community.

I would also like to work on starting a Veteran’s treatment court with the District Court. This type of specialty court can help provide treatment to Veterans suffering with PTSD or other mental health issues who wind up in the criminal justice system. This program could also help reduce the jail population by providing a different treatment program.

In regards to the rapidly growing community, I feel the sheriff has a strong voice and can make recommendations and suggestions regarding the growth and housing potential in the cities and areas within Kootenai County. Although the sheriff does not have the authority to make the decisions in these cases, being engaged with the stakeholders will be important. I see my connection with the community as a very important factor in this regard and I will work to represent the citizens of Kootenai County as these issues come up.

Our current Sheriff’s Office was built in the late 1980s and now holds three times the number of employees. Offices have been created in closet spaces and some areas on campus are in desperate need of repair. Offices are disjointed by being split up with storage far from work areas. This creates a lot of inefficiencies. We are going to need space. I will work with the Commissioners to be considered in future comprehensive planning so the space needs of your Sheriff’s Office are efficient and representative of the professional staff that provide you services everyday.

Finally, in regards to the jail’s capacity, the current jail expansion is still unfinished. It will be necessary to complete the remaining 108 beds to bring the jail to its full potential. That is step one. Once complete, the jail’s capacity will be 559. That’s it - we are out of room.

We need to start looking for ways to work on keeping the population down for as long as we possibly can in order to delay the need to build a new jail. Specialty courts are certainly one way to do this, and there are other programs that we can look at that have worked for other agencies such as pretrial release programs. I hope to work in conjunction with the Courts to be able to find solutions to keep the jail population down.

We are seeing an ever-increasing population of people with mental health issues in the jail, so these two issues are definitely tied together. With that said, as Sheriff, I will work to increase the access that inmates have to mental health and substance abuse care so that we can provide that continuity of care that they need to be successful once released. Hopefully, this also helps to reduce recidivism and lowers the jail population in the future.

WHAT SPECIFIC SKILLS OR EXPERIENCE QUALIFY YOU FOR THIS JOB?

I am currently a Captain and am assigned as the Investigations and Professional Standards Division Commander. As a commander, I have gained years of experience with building multimillion dollar budgets and working with stakeholders to build those budgets. I was integral in planning the last two jail expansions and have in-depth knowledge of jails – a large burden on liability and budgets.

I began my career in the Jail starting as a Detention Deputy. Over the years, I have served as a Jail Training Officer, Instructor, Sergeant, Administrative Sergeant, Support Services Commander, and Jail Bureau Commander. I have also worked in Patrol, led the Detective Division, and served as Public Information Officer. I currently serve as the Deputy Director of Kootenai County’s Office of Emergency Management.

I hold a number of law enforcement training certifications, including many specific to Idaho, including my Idaho Peace Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.) Management Certificate and Advanced Certifications in both Detention and Patrol. I am a graduate of the prestigious FBI National Academy - Session #243, and a graduate of both the FBI Command College and FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Academy. I have over 2,000 hours of Idaho Peace Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.) courses.

WHY SHOULD VOTERS ELECT YOU, RATHER THAN AN OPPONENT?

I am a long-time resident of Kootenai County and experienced member of the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office.

I have a long service record for volunteering in our community, having served on a number of boards and committees. I am a Coeur d’Alene Rotary Member, a Hospice of North Idaho Volunteer, Past President of the FBI NAA Montana Idaho Chapter, Past President of the Idaho Jail Administrators Association, Past Secretary and Board Member of the North Idaho Fair and Rodeo Foundation, Past Coordinator of the Cowboy Ball – The North Idaho Fair and Rodeo Foundations main source of fundraising, an active 4-H Volunteer, past ICARE Board Member, past Community Red Cross Instructor, and past Kootenai County Republican Women Chairperson for the Americanism Program.

As your Sheriff, I will protect and serve our community with passion and commitment gained from my deep-roots as a Kootenai County citizen and leadership gained from years of experience in leadership roles in your Sheriff’s Office.