That's a wrap: Christmas crime down
Kootenai County Sheriff's Office
PRESS File
It's been surprisingly slow for seasonal thefts.
Coeur d'Alene Police Capt. Dave Hagar said reports of porch pirates snatching holiday deliveries were few. No one even called in to say their Grinch, Baby Jesus or Santa was missing from their yard display. Even shoplifting reports were the exception, not the rule.
"Not like we've seen in the past," Hagar said. "A couple years ago, we saw more of it."
He attributed the quiet and peaceful holiday to continued police presence, a proactive approach by police and strong community engagement between officers and citizens.
He said if police see someone or something suspicious, they check it out. And residents do the same, alerting police if they think something is up.
"It's the community and police working together," he said.
Hagar said people are doing a better job of tracking the arrival of packages, so they don't sit on the porch long.
Hagar said the criminal element across the state line knows Coeur d'Alene is tough on crime and tends to stay away.
"They don't come over here. I really think that's a lot of it," Hagar said.
Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office figures noted that Kootenai County is down 42% in thefts since last year.
"I would like to credit that to an actively involved community and proactive patrol by our deputies," Undersheriff Brett Nelson said,
Post Falls Police Capt. Mark Brantl said he was hesitant to use the word quiet to apply to crime trends, but based on daily reports, 2024 has been muted in comparison when it comes to holiday delivery thefts in Post Falls.
"This year compared to years past, there has been a decrease in package thefts. It has been noticeable for sure," Brantl said.
There have been a few reported delivery thefts within city limits, but not enough to warrant directed patrols lately, even with the influx of mail service for the holiday gift-giving season.
"Generally, we have been more conscious of the package thefts this time of year and do some directed patrols to try to combat them," Brantl said.