Crime down in Coeur d'Alene

Crime is down in Coeur d'Alene. 

So much that even Police Chief Lee White isn’t sure it can go much lower. 

“I’m shocked that it’s this low, frankly,” he said. “Given our population, it should be much higher.” 

So, how low is it? 

Part 1 crimes from January to September this year compared to last year are down 13%. Part 1 crimes include aggravated assault, burglary, robbery, and theft. If you go back to 2015, Part 1 crimes are down 63% in Coeur d’Alene. 

Part 2 crimes, which include offenses for alcohol, child abuse, drugs, fraud, vandalism and juvenile problem, are down 4.8% January to September when comparing 2024 numbers to 2023. DUIs are down 29%, from 262 last year to 187 this year. 

“We thought two years ago our crime numbers had probably leveled off because our crimes numbers were so low given our population's continual increase,” White said following a presentation at the Coeur d’Alene Regional Chambers Upbeat Breakfast. “We did not expect it to continue to go down.” 

Calls for service are also down, 9.8%, comparing this January to September to the same timeframe last year. 

Asked if that meant more law-abiding citizens were moving into the area, White said that wasn’t the case. 

He said the downtown area has constant summer visitors from west of Coeur d’Alene “and they are extremely problematic.” Thousands come to the area and police “expect a certain number will not behave themselves.” 

Instead, White credits hard work by his team of about 100 officers, smart policing and building community ties as reasons for reduced crime. 

He cited the bike unit for keeping things in check downtown this summer. Alcohol offenses were down 93% this January to September compared to last year. He said officers were citing people for alcohol violations before they got behind the wheel of a car. 

White, who came to Coeur d’Alene 10 years ago as police chief, said there are a few things officers are asked to do that have resulted in less crime: Respond quickly to emergency calls, leave patrol cars when they have time to build relationships with citizens, and seek out felons and put them in jail. 

“The results have been very successful,” he said. 

A two-man opioid task force formed this year has proven successful, as has a task force devoted to stopping internet crimes against children. A group of patrol officers has been assigned to focus on registered sex offenders in the area. While that is primarily a role of the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office, White said police do what they can. They have made 58 arrests this year. 

“In our city, we don’t want to have them go unchecked,” he said. “Those sex offenders who fail to update registry or violate them are oftentimes the most likely to re-offend.” 

White said that in 2014, Coeur d’Alene had more than 2,000 Part 1 crimes with a population of about 47,000. This year, it will be less than 700, despite a population of about 57,000. 

Few cities, White said, can boast of falling crime while more people are moving in. Thanks to what he called “intelligence-based policing, Coeur d’Alene can. 

He said police take a “data-driven approach” to their work, mapping out service calls and reports, and going to areas where crime is happening, "to hopefully stop those things from occurring and arresting the proper people.” 

“We put officers where crimes are occurring in real-time,” White said. 

White declined to say if he believed crime could go lower in Coeur d’Alene. 

“I don’t want to jinx myself. I’m hopeful,” he said.