St. Maries mayor proposes city hire police chief

St. Maries Mayor Tom Carver is proposing the city hire a full-time police chief.

“Just as every city needs code enforcement so does St. Maries and that is why we are proposing the reinstatement of a chief of police as a full-time position, with typical police duties, including enforcement of city codes,” Carver wrote in a letter to Benewah County Sheriff Tony Eells.

The city has been without a police force for years and contracted with the BCSO for law enforcement. Under the contract, the city pays $303,086.04 per year to the sheriff’s office for city law enforcement and dispatch services.

The BCSO also designates three deputies for city patrol 16 hours per day, according to the St. Maries Gazette.

In December, the St. Maries City Council voted to end its contract with the BCSO. The contract will not officially lapse until June.

“What you may not know is what is behind that decision,” Carver wrote.

“We sincerely hope you will not see this as a threat to you or your department but as a positive move to peacefully coexist by helping to eliminate some of the burden from your department," Carver wrote.

He went on to say that while the sheriff position is critical to all in Benewah County, the city also has a duty to the citizens of St. Maries. The city has questioned the cost of the services received from the BCSO.

“What we are asking is all parties, including ourselves, come to the table in good faith and negotiate a source of action in which the city and the county work together well,” Carver wrote. “In fact, we would like to be an example for the rest of the State of Idaho on how a sheriff’s department and a city can work together seamlessly to provide exceptional law enforcement to its citizens."

Carver wrote that areas he hopes to discuss are:

• Law enforcement coverage within city limits when the city officer is off-duty.

• Dispatch fees that charge all entities that use the service based on the number of calls to/from that entity.

Eells expressed doubts about the mayor's proposal to work together.

“They want to pay less. I can’t do it for less. I have people I have to pay. And it doesn’t matter what we agree on there is going to be something else they want to renegotiate,” Eells said in a report in the St. Maries Gazette.

The Gazette reported that Eells also said the county will continue to honor its obligation until the contract expires.

In a letter to the editor in the Gazette, St. Maries resident Larry Haskell wrote:

“The council voted to end the contract with the sheriff for law enforcement. This is going to cost taxpayers. There is no way the city can do the job at the price they are paying the sheriff now. In addition to staffing, we will need to buy cars and maintain them. Is the city going to have a separate dispatch or pay the county for the service? That won’t work.”

He called on people to tell the council to reconsider its decision.

“I don’t think the council thought this through — and did it behind closed doors,” Haskell wrote.

The situation caught the attention of locals, who responded on social media.

"I think it will result in higher expenses for the city, but I also think it is money well spent. Response times have been poor in many instances, and there is not enough coverage in town," Tom Ebert wrote.

"I don't believe that the county has enough officers for adequate county coverage," wrote Jessica DeMarsh Green. "I would really like to see the city bring back our city police force. Mixing or combining the offices has shown that it has only caused a battle of authority and they don't work well together."