Boise Guardian » Law Enforcement

PEACE OFFICER Trumps LAW ENFORCEMENT

dave — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 02:04:09 +0000

(Disclaimder: GUARDIAN is in Thailand working on erratic WIFI, so this may be old news)

When the legislature proposed a draconian law to clear the old courthouse lawn of Occupy Boise protesters, they included a clause that would classify their property as “litter” and destroy it.

Both Boise’s Top Copper, Mike Masterson and Super Trooper colonel G. Jerry Russell sent a letter to the Occupy folks thanking them for their civility during the protest.

Masterson told the GUARDIAN it was a tip from an Occupy protester that led to the arrest of the North End Tire Slasher, indicating the members are not “bad citizens.”

Here is the BPD stance if the legislation is passed:
If law enforcement is truly at the front line of safeguarding peoples liberties and rights then we (BPD) have an obligation to speak out and not wait for the courts to tell us they got the law wrong and thus our
subsequent actions were wrong as well. For this reason, I have advised the state we will not be participating in any activity associated with the removal of property should it come to that.

Dec 5, 2011: Probation Officer Probe Moves To Canyon — 39 comments
Nov 11, 2011: Will Ada Probation Officer Get Probation? — 69 comments
Oct 27, 2011: Occupy Boise Marches In Solidarity With Oakland — 34 comments

Williston, N. Dakota — Growthophobe Heaven

dave — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:00:24 +0000

The following list has been circulating on the internet with several copies being directed to the GUARDIAN since it is prime fodder for our GROWTHOPHOBE philosophy and followers.

We talked to a Williams County, ND Deputy who not only confirmed the accuracy of the data, but told us, “We have a fair number of people from your area working here as well.”

Politicos take note: Your wishes may come true…be careful about what you wish for!
A meeting was held of the ND Sheriff’s & Deputies Association in Bismarck, as part of this meeting we had an opportunity to sit down with Law Enforcement from western ND to discuss what they are going through with oil impact. Here is a summary of 34 points made:
1. Currently there are a total of 84 companies involved in the oil industry in western ND.
2. It takes between 2000 and 2200 semi loads of water per well. Currently there are 258 wells in progress with so many scheduled it is hard to determine the exact amount.
3. Traffic accidents, especially fatal traffic accidents are of very high concern. At one location on Highway 85 south of Williston, a traffic count was conducted in October of 2011. In one 24 hour period of time there where 29,000 vehicle through the intersection looked at with 60% of the traffic being semi’s.
4. Traffic is typically backed up for ½ to ¾ of a mile. One of the guys stated that one day last week he sat at an intersection on Highway 85 for about 30 minutes to get a big enough opening to cross over.
5. They have closed the weigh scale house because it was causing such a traffic jam that it was closing the roadway.
6. Rent in Williston currently is: $ 2000 for a one bedroom to $ 3400 for a three bedroom.
7. They have no more hook ups for campers any where in the area.
8. Williams County allows three campers per farmstead, the farmers almost all have three campers on their property and are charging $ 800 per camper per month for rent.
9. Wal Mart in Williston no longer stocks shelves, they bring out pallets of merchandise at night, and set it in the isles, people then take off the pallets what they want.
10. On 1-1-12, the Williston Wal Mart had 148 campers overnight in their parking lot.
11. Willams County wrecked a pickup and ended up bringing it to Bismarck for repairs because there no available body shops to do the work. Williams County has purchased a trailer and has started to bring vehicles to the Bismarck area for repairs. Willaims County took a pickup in for ball joints and front brakes, the shop charged them $ 2800 for the repairs.
12. Williston and Williams County now produces more taxable sales than any other area in ND.
13. The Williams County jail has increased booking by 150%. With a 100% increase in inmate population. Bonds of $ 5k to $ 10 K are typically paid with cash out of pocket. The Williams County Sheriff stated that a couple of week ago he received a $ 63,000 bond in cash carried into the jail in a plastic Wal Mart bag.
14. Williams County Sheriff’s Department has more than doubled in staff over the last two years, they are now buying trailer houses that come up for sale to rent to newly hired deputies.
15. Williams County new starting salary with the academy is $ 46,000 plus 100% of all benefits paid.
16. They are in a continuous hiring cycle, they have no set budget at this time, the Sheriff has been told to manage his office to the best of his abilities and keep the Commission updated, but do not worry about the budget.
17. The Williston McDonalds just announced that they will pay $ 15 an hour, a $ 500 immediate sign on bonus and a single medical plan paid for.
18. The restaurants are full and with limited staff to work in them they usually just have the drive through open. The restaurants that have inside seating are now an hour wait at all times.
19. Law Enforcement in the Williams County area cannot provide training to staff due to time constraints and no location to hold training.
20. The local Motel 6 in Williston now rents rooms fro $ 129.95 per night.
21. Law Enforcement no longer does any proactive work (school programs, community services, house checks) they do very little traffic related issues as well, they just to from call to call. Bars fights are one of the biggest issues.
22. Other law enforcement issues include the strip clubs. The local clubs have now started what is called “babe buses”. These buses go out to areas and pick up people and bus them back and forth to the strip clubs, the buses have poles on them as well as live entertainment.
23. Drug problems are immense, and they are seeing narcotics that they have never seen in the area before, like black tar heroin.
24. The civil process section of the Sheriff’s Department use to average 1800 paper a year, they are now doing 4500 processes a year.
25. Law Enforcement said that they make as many Driving under the influence arrest at 10 Am as they do at midnight.
26. Illegal aliens have become a huge problem, especially getting the proper authorities do remove them from the Country.
27. The current thought from the oil companies is that the area will continue to grow as it has over the past two years for the next five years and stay for ten years. At the end of the ten years they feel the communities will drop in population somewhat.
28. The current thought is that the oil companies will be drilling wells on every 1280 acres of leased land, this way they have tied up the land and do not have to release the property.
29. The Williston General Motors dealership has now become the number 1 seller of Corvettes in the upper Midwest.
30. The bigger oil companies are doing very well in hiring good people. They run checks and make sure the people they hire are drug free; it is the smaller companies that are having trouble-hiring people that will look the other way on hiring issues.
31. They said they do not know anybody anymore. The Sheriff of Williams County he use to be able to go to Wal Mart and not be walk very far without knowing somebody, now he does not know any of the people in there.
32. Many of the local citizens are taking retirement and moving out of the area.
33. They have an extreme amount of alcohol abuse going on. They have more calls than ever of drunk people trying to get into houses, to find out they are at the wrong place.
34. Minot population has grown by a projected 9000 people since the completion of the census. Minot is expecting to reach a population of 75,000 in the nest five years. Trinity Hospital in Minot has just hired 115 nurses from the Philippines to work at the hospital, as they cannot get enough local nurses to apply.

Jan 20, 2012: Idaho Power Adopts Growthophobe Philosophy — 2 comments

Good Cop, Bad Cop GPS Use

dave — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 04:33:38 +0000

A small town “hick sheriff” from Burley should get national acclaim for his use of sophisticated GPS tracking gear to fight crime the RIGHT way with a tactic that would have made Andy Griffith of Mayberry fame “right proud.”

Cassia County Sheriff Randy Kidd had a problem with folks stealing copper wire from farms and construction sites, so he embedded a GPS tracking device in a coil of unattended wire at an irrigation pump. On Sunday the device alerted coppers of the copper wire movement which led to an arrest where the suspect in a vehicle had the ill gotten goods in his possession.

On the flip side of the “good cop” high tech copper caper is the case of the “bad cop” FBI agents who violated the constitution by placing a similar device on the car of a suspected drug dealer WITHOUT A WARRANT OR COURT ORDER. They tracked the suspect in the Washington, D.C. area, made an arrest and got a conviction. The dealer was sentenced to life in prison, but the FBI’s illegal conduct prompted the United States Supreme Court to overturn the conviction Monday, according to NEWS REPORTS.

The conclusion is that placing GPS monitors on vehicles without permission is a violation of the Constitution of the United States of America and amounts to a warrantless search. Same device placed in goods prior to theft is good police work.

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Who Says Crime Doesn’t Pay?

dave — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 22:20:27 +0000

The folks who find themselves caught up in the criminal justice/judicial system–admittedly for committing crimes–got a New Year’s gift from the legislature in the form of a price hike.

This from a probationer:
With everything going on with ACMPS, I just thought your readers would like to know that ACMPS has raised their supervision fees.“Effective Immediately, supervision fees will increase to $75 in accordance with Idaho Codes 20-225 and 31-3201D.” I just got back from visiting my PO and I had only the cash of their current fees of $50 so “luckily” I am able to pay on my next visit.

We haven’t heard any news about how the county plans to deal with what appears to be the unconstitutional agreement to allow a private contractor to run misdemeanor probation services as a for profit business. Only the Idaho Department of Corrections has the authority to run probation according to the Idaho Constitution.

Oct 21, 2011: Commish Ullman Talks Probation Issues — 12 comments
Oct 6, 2011: For-Profit Ada Probation Agency Defendant In Class Action Lawsuit — 33 comments
May 24, 2011: Ada Probation Agency Comes Under Scrutiny — 84 comments

New Group Vows To Police Boise Coppers

dave — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 21:23:19 +0000

A start up group calling itself BOISE COP WATCH plans to hit the streets this weekend armed with video cameras to record the activities of Boise coppers.

Pete Rimkus, the organizer says BCW (Boise Cop Watch) will be on patrol in Boise, Idaho this Saturday Night, January 14th, 2012.

Their goal: accountability through transparency so the streets are safer for all who wish to set foot upon the pavement as free individuals. The BCW will join with others who believe in documenting police interactions through the lens of a camera. BCW hopes that the police – who purport to strive for openness – will welcome their efforts.

For more information about this topic or to volunteer, contact Pete Rimkus 208.570.1945 or email boisecopwatch@gmail.com

Sep 8, 2011: Coppers Cap Cornered Cougar — 7 comments
Apr 21, 2011: Conservation Group Heads For the Hills — 4 comments
Dec 2, 2011: Coppers Cope With Public Puffing — 10 comments

Obama, Feds Exempt Coppers From Tech Ban While Driving

dave — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 22:52:16 +0000

When the national media announced a proposed Federal Government ban on ALL in car devices–with emphasis on eliminating texting while driving, the GUARDIAN sought clarification from the United States Transportation Department in Washington, D.C.

We wondered if the ban would apply to coppers who we all see driving down the road looking at computer screens or trying to punch info into their computers while driving. Here is what we got “on background” and attributable to the NHTSA (national highway transportation safety administration).

“No matter who is sitting behind the wheel, distracted driving is unsafe, irresponsible, and could have devastating consequences. However, the nation’s public safety professionals – including first responders such as police, fire, and EMS – have a special mission, information needs, and training that clearly distinguish them from other motorists on our roadways. In particular, law enforcement officers need certain in-vehicle equipment to do their job safely and effectively. As a result, law officers are trained to operate their vehicle and its equipment without compromising their own safety or that of other road users.”

Also here is a link to the President’s EXECUTIVE ORDER 13513, “Federal Leadership on Reducing Text Messaging While Driving”. In section 3C there is an exemption for law enforcement individuals.

We have yet to find a copper–or any other human who can look down and right while also looking straight ahead scanning the highway. Must be some really super training for these heroes. Perhaps they will exempt other motorists who master the police training courses.

Jun 22, 2011: Coppers On Choppers “Have Guns Will Travel” — 17 comments
Sep 8, 2011: Coppers Cap Cornered Cougar — 7 comments
Dec 5, 2011: Coppers Capture “Tire Terrorist” Suspect — no comments

Canine Copper Chomps “Hostage”

dave — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 05:36:33 +0000

One of the local canine coppers made the news Friday when a woman was reportedly “possibly being held against her will” at a northwest Boise home.

The four-legged cop dog was sent in when the suspect refused to come out and promptly bit the female “hostage.” Police said the wounds were not life threatening. The suspect eventually was arrested on outstanding warrants.

Such incidents are not uncommon. A few years back one of the Boise PD dogs chomped down on a female city attorney in a wheelchair who was working late at city hall. Coppers were conducting a training exercise that time.

Then there was the dog that escaped from a patrol car and grabbed the family jewels of a man who was standing outside another patrol car handcuffed. He received a cash settlement and now sings soprano.

Of course to be fair to the dogs we have to mention the incident at the zoo where a tiger escaped out the back of a cage and attacked a female visitor. The cop shot the woman, but missed the tiger in that case. Police initially passed that one off as a “ricochet,” but later declared the copper a hero for scaring the tiger away with the gunshot since he was acting in good faith. Another cash settlement to cover the leg wound.

No related posts.

Private Prison Guards Don’t Meet Standards

dave — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 21:10:13 +0000

Corrections officers working at the private Correction Corporation of America facility south of Boise are having trouble meeting standards required to be certified by the Idaho Peace Officers and Standards Training (POST) council.

Last week of seven statewide “applications for waiver of standards” brought before the POST hearing board, five were seeking exceptions for CCA staffers who must be certified to work at the prison.

Records show the board granted four of the five waiver requests for pre employment offenses such as possessions of marijuana,fail to pay traffic fines, disorderly conduct, fail to disclose traffic offenses, and driving on suspended license. Each case was reviewed as to when it happened, age at time of offense, and if it was voluntarily disclosed to authorities.

The board denied a waiver to a candidate convicted of 2011 traffic offenses which he failed to disclose on his application.

Oct 4, 2011: Private County Probation On The Way Out — 34 comments
Sep 30, 2011: Private Probation Pressures Offenders — 6 comments

Coppers Capture “Tire Terrorist” Suspect

dave — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 23:13:38 +0000

We don’t want to sound sexist, but to the surprise of many folks the North End tire poppin’ terrorist suspect turns out to be a 29 year old woman–not a malicious kid.

Boise PD detectives acting on the tip of a citizen arrested Diana Leigh O’Leary, 29, of Boise Monday morning.

Here is how it all came down according to the coppers:
Boise Police first received reports of tires slashed on some 30 vehicles in the area of N. 5th and W. Hays Street November 23rd. Officers have been investigating and searching for a suspect since that time.

Saturday, December 3rd, Boise Police received a tip from a citizen who reported seeing a woman crouched near a vehicle in the area of 5th & Hays sometime between 5:00 and 6:00 a.m. That morning, officers began receiving reports of approx. 25 additional tires slashed in the same area.

Officers investigated the lead throughout the weekend. By today, Boise Police had identified the woman as O’Leary, who lives near where the crimes occurred. Officers obtained a warrant for O’Leary this morning and arrested her a short later at her home.

“We’re very thankful for the citizen who was alert and followed up with a phone call to police,” said Sgt. Randy Buzzini of the Boise PD Property Crimes Unit. “We know these types of crimes can be very unnerving, along with expensive for victims. We’re confident in this arrest and we hope it reassures neighbors we’re working with them to prevent these crimes and to stop them when they do happen.”

At this time, the motive for the vandalism is unclear.

In all, officers identified 31 victims, some had found their vehicle’s tires slashed on both Nov. 23rd and Dec. 3rd.

Dec 14, 2011: Obama, Feds Exempt Coppers From Tech Ban While Driving — 27 comments
Sep 23, 2011: Coppers Cap (Another) Cornered Cougar — 12 comments
Sep 8, 2011: Coppers Cap Cornered Cougar — 7 comments

Coppers Cope With Public Puffing

dave — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 20:37:02 +0000

We haven’t weighed in on the anti-smoking fiasco within Boise bars and parks until the City Councilors passed a set of ordinances that will become law January 1. Now that it illegal to puff in public we wanted to hear from the coppers who will have to enforce the law.

The GUARDIAN made an official request of the Boise PD to see how coppers plan to smother the smoke of those who blow it contrary to law. The short answer is probably “politely.” We have heard all the arguments, but still find it hard to justify a smoking ban, while allowing the consumption of alcohol. A lot more people are robbed and unwanted babies born as a result of too much booze than too much smoke.

Given the penchant for Boise’s Team Dave to be “business friendly,” perhaps they can figure out a method of licensing smoking establishments like they do the booze joints. Meanwhile, taxpayers will have to pony up the cash to defend the laws when tobacco interests make the legal challenge in court.

BOISE PD POLICY

Aug 3, 2011: I.F. Coppers Asked To Enforce Dress Code — 8 comments
Sep 8, 2011: Coppers Cap Cornered Cougar — 7 comments
Jun 22, 2011: Coppers On Choppers “Have Guns Will Travel” — 17 comments

Boise Guardian » Law Enforcement

PEACE OFFICER Trumps LAW ENFORCEMENT

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