Tribe hires police chief |
| September 30, 2013 |
|
While details are sketchy, it has been verified
that the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho has hired its
first official police chief, possibly affecting
years of contracting with Boundary Country and
the City of Bonners Ferry to provide tribal law
enforcement. When asked if the tribe had hired a police chief, tribal chair Jennifer Porter today said "yes,", but said "no comment" to any additional requests for information. "I'd rather you talk about the good things the tribe does for the community," she said, "like giving $90,000 to the school district." The Bonners Ferry City Council will meet Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. to consider police and fire contracts with the tribe in light of the new development; the Boundary County Sheriff's Office is waiting to learn which, if any, services it may continue to provide. It is not known whether the hiring of a tribal police chief will be the harbinger of a tribal police force independent of existing local law enforcement agencies. In years past, the tribe has contracted with the Boundary County Sheriff's Office, paying $8,847 the last fiscal year to patrol the Kootenai Tribal Mission; the tribe paid the City of Bonners Ferry approximately $39,000 to provide police protection at the Kootenai River Inn and the reservation. While no official verification has been given, it has been reported by reliable sources that the Tribe's new police chief, effective October 1, will be long-time Bonners Ferry assistant police chief Joel Minor, who turned in his two week notice with the city earlier this month, and who had been on paid administrative leave from the city since a tort claim filed by a fellow city officer was filed September 9. "We wish you wrote about the good things the tribe does," Porter said. "This seem a good thing," I replied. "We think so," she said. "We're for the safety of the whole community." |