Efforts on North Fork yielding positive results for Shoshone sheriff's department

WALLACE — In the weeks since Memorial Day weekend, things have quieted down on the North Fork, according to the Shoshone County Sheriff's Office.  

"Memorial Day weekend this year was one for the record books," Sheriff Holly Lindsey said. 

She said they responded to two or three helicopters, assisted with critical incidents; had a shooting, several vehicle/ATV crashes and multiple calls for service. 

"Since then, things have definitely slowed down, thankfully," Lindsey said. "We are still responding to more calls than we would during the offseason but not as much as previous years." 

Over the years, patrolling the North Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River has been among the bigger challenges for the SCSO, especially during the summer months when thousands of people flock to the area.  

This year, the numbers tell a different story.  

According to Lindsey, the SCSO has responded to 93 incidents in the North Fork region from May 31 through July 11. In 2023, during that same period, they responded to 139 incidents.  

What caused the decrease?  

Lindsey believes the decreased crime is the result of several factors, and they're not all law enforcement-related. 

Funding and staffing shortages have long plagued the SCSO, which has forced sheriffs to find creative ways to bridge those gaps.  

Shoshone County has participated in grant-funded highway emphases, focusing on aggressive, impaired and distracted driving during high-volume traffic days and holidays. Deputies patrolling as part of these emphases are paid at an overtime rate and able to work additional hours.

"This is encouraging more deputies to work the holidays where they would otherwise have had a day off," Lindsey said. "This is putting more deputies on the road during high recreation time."

Lindsey said the creation of the county's Backcountry Team in late May has allowed the department to provide coverage to smaller, more rural communities that don't have their own law enforcement agencies.  

"These areas would include Clarkia, Calder, Avery, Murray and Prichard, basically the Coeur d'Alene River corridor and the St. Joe River corridor," she said. "The Backcountry Team also focuses on the recreation areas most populated in the summertime where the majority of our criminal issues arise."

Lindsey believes the additional patrols and presence have helped lower the frequency of criminal activity, and said it could also be that economic restraints are making it difficult for people and families to spend time outdoors. 

The SCSO is pursuing an additional grant through the Idaho Department of Transportation that would provide wages for one deputy. 

"This is an amazing benefit because we can assign them to specific areas of the county where we are having traffic issues," Lindsey said. "The most recent traffic complaint I've received was the St. Joe River Road. As a result, we have assigned that deputy to spend his work week focusing on that area of the county to combat the issue." 

Lindsey is pleased with these results as we reach the midway point of the summer season, but she wants to keep improving.  

"Our No. 1 goal is to keep our residents and visitors safe while they enjoy our beautiful county," Lindsey said.