An Open Letter To Kootenai County Citizens from Retired Law Enforcement Professional

Media Source: Editorial

An open letter from retired Law Enforcement Professional regarding Dan Wilson’s credibility to be the next Sheriff of Kootenai County

Anyone paying attention to what has been happening in our country, especially over the last ten years, must be gravely concerned. The progressive decay in traditional American values and ideals have had astounding ramifications. We see incredible political corruption at all levels of our government, a highly compromised justice system, and unprecedented numbers of undocumented peoples flowing across our open borders. All of this has had a devastating effect on our country. Our state and our county are not immune, and we do not live in a protected bubble. These problems cannot be solved overnight and will certainly get worse before they get better.

Residents of any county should certainly pay attention to who their elected officials are, and in holding them accountable, especially now. There are clearly many significant challenges ahead for our county the potential of which I’ve never seen in my adult life. The only elected law enforcement position in the county is the sheriff. As such it is very important that you have someone of strong moral, ethical, and professional character. As important, the sheriff must be a strong leader. They are leading men and women deputies with the power to take someone’s freedom, and can legally use force, including deadly force. The sheriff can also heavily influence others in county and local governments.

This current sheriff’s election is very important to me for all of the above reasons, and more so that the law enforcement profession is a career I love and respect. I spent 37years in uniform as a commissioned law enforcement officer. I worked in several different units in patrol and investigations. The vast majority of my career was spent on the street as a municipal police officer here in the northwest in an agency of about 200 commissioned officers. I promoted late by choice, when I became disgusted with poor leadership, and retired as a Lieutenant. I tell you this only because I want readers to understand I have some credibility to be making these observations.

Throughout my career I worked for five different chiefs. I can honestly say that two of the five were really poor leaders, and another was just plainly ROD (retired on duty). Only one was really a strong leader. But they all had pages of credentials proving they were educated and experienced, all the correct boxes checked. None of that really mattered. I have attended some of these schools myself and can honestly say many were a waste of time.

I also had the opportunity to work with and know many officers from other departments both out of state and internationally. I found that there were excellent officers and agencies all over. No one area had a corner on being the best. Of course, officers and deputies should have pride in their departments, that’s a good thing. But objectively all departments ebb and flow over time and no one has a corner on being better than others. As an example, I have known many, and have some very close long-time friends who served in southern California law enforcement. I find it somewhat humorous when I hear other officers who served there make glorified claims about their agencies while forgetting to mention sheriffs and others who were convicted of corruption, or deputies who were actually street gang members and other behaviors one wouldn’t ever contribute to, “one of the finest police agencies in America.”

My point of saying the above is that in my experience just because someone has certifications and such, or their agency is large and well known, doesn’t mean anything. I want to know who they are as a man. What is their character. Can they lead the men and women of a law enforcement agency as a strong example through demonstrated strong leadership?  This is for me the most critical question in this current election cycle for the sheriff of Kootenai County.

All that being said, I have strong reservations about supporting the current sheriff. He has done some things that cause alarm bells to go off in my head. Here I will mention just a few.

First, Sheriff Norris gave County Commissioner Mattare a ‘special deputy commission’ which, to my knowledge, he has never explained what exactly that means. Sheriff Norris did say that this commission was nothing to worry about, it just allowed him to share with Mattare sensitive or otherwise privileged information about the sheriff’s department. This makes no sense. The sheriff can provide the commissioners with any information he wishes without giving a commissioner a special status as a law enforcement commission. His response just raises more questions. Such as why give this commission to just one commissioner? This action suggests a more nefarious purpose and is very concerning.

Another issue I have came from a recent interview the sheriff did with a local reporter. In this interview the sheriff was asked about how he would deal with deputies that committed serious mistakes. A relatively easy and straightforward question. Instead of providing an easy and straightforward answer Sheriff Norris began to delve into a concept taught to supervisors and managers about determining proper discipline, if any. Not only did the sheriff get the concept completely wrong (backwards) he totally confused the interviewer, you could see it in their face. This incident told me the sheriff was trying to impress the audience instead of giving a clear answer, but then didn’t even understand the concept well enough to get it correctly.

Lastly, I’ve noticed that Sheriff Norris often brings subordinates or others with him to events and uses a lot of what is called deflection in answering questions. He either shifts the conversation away from an uncomfortable question or passes off the answer to someone else. This does not instill confidence in him. Rather, it suggests he doesn’t have the confidence or ability to answer tough questions honestly, and/or wants someone else to be on the record answering, not him. I perceive this as a weakness of leadership and accountability.

Following the other candidate in this race, Dan Wilson, I see someone who has been out front and willing to answer tough questions and personally meet with almost anyone as time allows. He also doesn’t send his minions out to sabotage an opponent’s events as Norris has done, he goes himself with a professional attitude. I know Dan Wilson doesn’t have the law enforcement background that the sheriff has, but I also know he has the organizational management and leadership ability to build a successful business.  Afterall, the elected position of sheriff doesn’t require any law enforcement background. But then, Dan Wilson does know what it’s like for road deputies working nights, taking risks, and seeing difficult things as part of their daily work lives. He might not know what it’s like to work as a full-time law enforcement supervisor or manager but if you listen carefully to his words (and acknowledge his reserve service) you can tell he has a passion and respect for the career field that many law enforcement managers don’t seem to.

Overall, Sherrif Norris does not impress. In speaking with former KCSO deputies and others who have been observers of the department for some time, I have heard nothing that Sherrif Norris has done of note, other than getting a helicopter for the department while complaining he doesn’t have enough budget for deputies or to finish the jail. I acknowledge I have an incomplete picture of the sheriff, and I will continue to follow his campaign. But my experience (gut) is telling me that the sheriff is not the leader the department deserves. We have recently seen that sometimes, when we are under dark clouds, a leader coming from outside the norm is just what is required to right the ship. I encourage the people of Kootenai county to get involved in this race, pay attention to the details and make rational and justifiable decisions based on a full understanding of what information you have, and hopefully you will then have a clear choice when it’s time to vote.

Mark Lewis

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.