Sheriff Bob Norris Lies In Town Hall When Telling Story Of Protecting Gun Rights

Media Source: The Idaho Sheriff

In a Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office Town Hall, September 2023, a resident asked the following question directed to Sheriff Bob Norris and read by County Commissioner Bruce Mattare, “Will you protect residents from federal actions that go against state law or infringe on an individual’s Constitutional rights?” Norris responds to this question by telling a story. Listen in the video clip below.

It seems that Norris is fond of grandstanding when it comes to providing evidence that during his first term in office he stood up to protect YOUR rights. There is evidence through a KCSO records request that the story Bob Norris tells below isn’t exactly truthful or acurate.

Here is a transcript excerpt from the September 2023 KCSO town hall where Norris responds to the question: (video shown above)

“I have contacted all of our SAC’s, all of our special agents in charge, and I have asked them, if they have an event here in Kootenai County, that I would like to participate in this and I’d like to have an opportunity to review their operations plan and what have you.”

“We have had situations where we had a uh, federal parole officer that had individual that was on uh federal parole and the the deputies are inside and uh federal parole says hey I’m gonna take these guns, and the deputy said what hold hold hold, this is the uncle’s house. This guy is just visiting here. The uncle is a hunter. The the guns are in a glass case. He is living in a back bedroom and had some access. Um I uh, I don’t think we’re going to take any guns today. So, then I (Norris referring to himself) get a phone that said hey I’m over here at the location, we have federal here da da da da and I said, no we’re not taking the guns. Um and then we didn’t take those guns and we the federal um probation agent at that time he uh we spoke afterwards, said hey the homeowner has nothing to do with this individual and he didn’t have access to those guns, those guns were locked away. I see more of those things happening. Um. But the I, I don’t see the federal government but certainly if the federal government were to have an overreach, I believe that uh the support I have behind me I can be bold in uh my decision making.

Norris tells the story that he himself received a phone call while this incident was unfolding, and that it was he who issued the order not to take the homeowner’s guns.

Description of Request (made by Dan Wilson 8/12/24)
Please provide all incident reports an CAD notes for the incident that Sheriff Norris referenced regarding Federal Parole Officer(s) attempting to remove firearms from the residence during his September 21, 2023 town hall held in Hayden Idaho (seen here) starting at 1:05:00 and concluding at 1:07:00.

The results of the records request provide the on-scene deputy’s body cam footage from the date of the incident. A portion of that is seen and heard in the next video.

The results of Wilson’s record request of this incident reveal the following:

• Federal parole agents did not respond to this incident. It was Idaho State Probation and Parole.
• The on-scene deputy called her patrol Sargeant Brandel. Brandel is the voice you hear on the other end of the phone recorded on the deputy’s body cam. It’s Brandel that states that they would not be taking all firearms from the homeowner, that Idaho is a second amendment state, ande we’re not going to cross that line. Brandel (not Norris) made the determination that they’d only take the firearms that were confirmed to have been in possession of the man who was violating the terms of his probation
• Sheriff Bob Norris was not mentioned in the incident report or CAD notes
• Sheriff Bob Norris was not on scene
• There is no record of a phone call being made to Sheriff Bob Norris at the time of this incident
• There is no record of Sheriff Bob Norris making the decision regarding the homeowner’s firearms as proven in the incident reports and body cam footage
• Bob Norris grandstands by inserting himself into this story and fails to give credit to Sargeant Brandel

Federal US Marshal Also On Scene of Gun Seizure Incident

It is uncertain how one Federal agent, a US Marshal was on scene for this incident and had received orders to seize all guns from the home. This is where the KCSO deputy stepped in, contacted her line supervisor, KCSO Sargeant Brandel, and it was Brandel who denied seizure of all guns from the home (not Norris).

Transcripts from the body cam footage (video shown below) including the statements made by the federal US Marshal who was on scene during the time of this incident:

“We absolutely love working with you guys and it’s getting so much better now that Norris is in and so I don’t want to ruin any of that and again, I can’t stress enough, I’m not even okay as a Federal agent doing this right now it’s just I’m being told to do this right now. Um so you you call your guys, I’ll call the AUSA back and then I’ll call my boss and we’ll come to an understanding and hopefully it’ll be one of two ways. We give them to the county who can give them right back to the parents…”

The US Marshal is speaking specifically to Sargeant Brandel (not Norris), indicating that he (the federal agent) has received orders from his Federal authorities to seize all guns from the home. The Federal Agent continues to comment stating that they (the feds) have a much better relationship with Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office now that Norris is the sheriff.

Norris’ Federal relationships has been a specific point of concern for Wilson and something he has worked hard to bring to the attention of the people of Kootenai County. Wilson states that, “If Bob Norris is ‘running on his record’ and we have proof that he lies and takes credit for something he didn’t do, that’s a huge problem. I’m also greatly concerned about the obvious cozy relationship that Norris has with his federal counterparts. The evidence found in these records and on video being just one example of that.”

Watch Dan Wilson’s full livestream broadcast from 9-18-2024 going into more depth on the information contained in this article in the video below.

The General Election is on November 5, 2024.

For more information on voter registration in Kootenai County, Idaho or to register to vote visit https://www.kcgov.us/329/Registration-Voting.

Dan Wilson for Kootenai County Sheriff 2024
285 W Prairie Shopping Ctr, #530
Hayden, ID 83835
info@theidahosheriff.com

Paid for by Dan Wilson for Kootenai County Sheriff, Luann Hopkins treasurer. © 2023 Dan Wilson for Kootenai County Sheriff. All rights reserved.