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Ethics Panel On Target
February 12, 2006 
A parcel of Land in the middle of Military Reserve Park along Cottonwood Creek is owned by the non-profit Boise Police Association which charges taxpayers $36,000 a year so cops can use a pistol range.
The association–not a part of the department or union–has held the land longer than institutional memories of oldtimers still around. The secluded location made an ideal spot for some rowdy parties over the years and in recent times the group leased the clubhouse for private events.
Now the cozy relationship between the City of Boise and the Police Association is about to come to an end with the sale of the clubhouse and grounds to a couple of cops.
Seems city policy prohibits doing business with city employees beyond their employment contracts. The City Ethics Commission ruled last week that it would be improper for Boise to contract with the private owners since they are employees…which would sort of make them landlords AND tenants whenever they used the pistol range.
It is a good ruling by the commission and good law. Too bad we didn’t have them around to put things in perspective when the off duty cop with the tracer rounds just happened to be firing an M-16 at the range when the entire Boise Front burned.
As the big paper would say, “WHATS NEXT?”
The Ada County Sheriff has a range off old highway 55, but we hear that will be silenced in the future. The GUARDIAN thinks a joint facility funded and used by ALL cops in the county would be a good idea. With more than 4,000 acres at the Poop Farm in the desert and county landfill property in the foothills, there is probably an idea spot awaiting development.
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Comments & Discussion
Comments are closed for this post.
Feb 12, 2006, 6:08 pm
Guardian,
No one wants to talk about the Police setting the fire with tracer bullets, on a hot day and high wind… and probably most new comers don’t remember.
No lawsuit was ever filed against the police… just like the woman who was smoking in the Capitol building and put the smoke out in a tupperware waste basket. They sued Tupperware… But Oh Lord help us poor taxpayers (was going to say a dirty word here) if we start a fire on public ground… but I degress…
Here is a good historical link about that fire http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/lps1515/apr1997/8.pdf