EDITORIAL: In search of a voice of reason

As Kootenai County sheriff since he was first elected in 2020, Bob Norris has done a fine job. Constituents gave him nearly 70% support in the 2024 general election for another four years. He has been a man about town, holding town halls and morning coffee sessions to stay connected with the public and hear their concerns. Norris has been a crime fighter, strong leader at the KCSO and good for this county. 

However, his actions at the town hall meeting Saturday that led to a woman being forcibly removed, literally dragged kicking and screaming from the Coeur d’Alene High School auditorium, were wrong. 

Yes, Teresa Borrenpohl shouted during the meeting of legislators organized by the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee. Yes, she may have been asked several times to stop speaking out of turn. And yes, she and others may well have been warned security was present and speaking out of turn could mean their removal. 

But that doesn’t mean she or anyone should be physically removed, against their will. This was billed as a town hall with elected leaders. Citizens need to hear from them, and they need to hear from citizens. 

Behavior at such gatherings will not always follow proper decorum. We know this. Civility 24/7 went out the door years ago. Elected leaders should not be surprised when people are not courteous. They should be prepared.   

A citizen being pulled out of their seat, dragged up the aisle and zip-tied for speaking out of turn is indefensible.

Sadly, Norris played a key role in what happened. 

Based on reviews of video and audio recordings, Norris approached Borrenpohl, warned her, threatened her with pepper spray, told her she had to leave, and then took her by the arm and tried to pull her from her seat. When that was unsuccessful, he motioned to security personnel, and they removed a resisting Borrenpohl in a chaotic scene that was recorded by multiple people.  

Instead of deescalating things, the sheriff turned up the heat.

Now, we have another negative incident that is putting the national spotlight on Coeur d’Alene once again. People across the country saw a woman being hauled out of a meeting in Idaho because she was speaking and shouting out of turn. 

Leaders like Sheriff Norris are expected to set the bar. They must be calm in difficult situations. For the most part, Bob Norris has been an experienced voice of reason. That he wasn’t on Saturday was surprising. He could have and should have handled things better. 

We'd like to humbly remind the sheriff that he doesn't just represent people who agree with his politics. He represents all of us. 

And he represents Teresa Borrenpohl, too.