Sheriff: Hayden needs a cop boost

HAYDEN - Enhancing law enforcement presence in Hayden is something Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris says needs to happen.

There's just one tiny, multimillion-dollar barrier. 

"The current Hayden public safety business plan cannot be sustained," Norris said, referencing a clip where he told city officials the same statement at a workshop on May 25. 

Instead of creating its own police department, Hayden has contracted with the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office for a handful of patrol deputies. 

For the past two years, Hayden has allocated $322,853 — or 6% of the city's $5.1 million general fund expenditures - for one seasonal and three full-time KCSO deputies.

Both these numbers — the $322,853 in expenses and four officers — are too small, Norris said in an interview with The Press. With those officers responding to over 10,000 calls for service in 2020, the sheriff said Hayden frequently requires more than is budgeted. 

"I can't send just one deputy over there anymore for a call. It's not prudent for us or the public's safety," he said. "We're always bringing resources from other areas in the county to be able to respond to calls for service and Hayden, so that compromises service everywhere else." 

Prescribing the officer-to-population staffing method popular in municipalities around the country, Norris said the national standard KCSO follows is 1:1,000 - for every 1,000 residents, there should be one law enforcement professional. 

The Hayden city ratio of 4:15,434 — or approximately 0.26 officers per 1,000 — is a dangerously low number, in Norris's opinion. 

By comparison, this is how neighboring police departments stack up:

• Spirit Lake: $649,000 (37%) from general fund budget with seven officers for 2,319 population
• Coeur d'Alene: $16.7 million (39%) from general fund budget with 90 officers for 52,414
• Rathdrum: $2.15 million (37%) from general fund with 15 officers for 9,150
• Post Falls: $6.87 million (22%) from general fund with 46 officers for 36,250

"Regardless of how the city of Hayden proceeds with their growth plan or comprehensive plan, they're in significant arrears right now," Norris said.

The city of Hayden has tried to finance more for law enforcement twice through levy overrides, city administrator Brett Boyer said Friday. Notably, the city's first levy in 2018 aimed to fund roads and more KCSO deputies through an additional $1.63 million. 

If approved, Hayden taxpayers would have seen an estimated levy rate of $2.50 per $1,000 of assessed value — versus the then $1.23 per 1,000.

Of the $1.633 million, $980,000 would have been allocated to road maintenance and $653,000 for four additional law enforcement deputies for 24-hour coverage.

However, the measure failed with 70% opposition after city officials openly encouraged the "no" vote because citizens misunderstood the measure. 

"After that, we learned and were trying to listen to citizens, so the council decided to form a specific task force made up of citizens and business owners to look at law enforcement," Boyer said. "Looking at the statistics, the number of officers we had, and all other information, the task force made a recommendation to go for just a public safety levy override in 2019." 

The second ballot measure failed, barely missing the 60% majority vote needed to pass by 8%. With a new sheriff in the county, Boyer said Norris has come to the city to discuss increasing law enforcement coverage and what it would cost.

To provide the level of law enforcement Norris believes Hayden needs, Boyer said the city would have to gradually increase the public safety budget up to at least $1.8 million over the next few years. He also recommended that the council commission a law enforcement impact study. 

Norris said he's encouraged by recent discussions with city officials to close enforcement gaps with the possibility of increased financial support. 

"I don't know how we got to this point, but what's more important is how we're going to move forward because the residents of the city of Hayden need and expect a full service of law enforcement," Norris said. 

At Tuesday's council meeting, the board voted to cover an overtime officer until Labor Day, but no other plans for added patrol have been initiated, Boyer said. 

"Because our total general fund budget has been around $5 million for several years, to say we're going to move half a million around to cover additional deputies is tough," he explained. "We are projected for some increases next year, but our levy rate is one of the lowest in the state. Right now, it's less than $1 per $1,000."

With COVID-19 closures fading, Boyer said restarting Hayden's public safety task force might be beneficial to gather input from the community. Over the coming months, he believes that discussions are likely between the council and KCSO. 

"We really appreciate the county and all they've done for us," Boyer said.