Dan “DW” Wilson Bio

EARLY DAYS

Spokane County native, homeschooler, and young entrepreneur

“I realized at an early age that I was a born protector; I instinctively wanted to protect people. As a 4-year-old I’d sit with my dad watching old westerns like Gunsmoke with Sheriff Dylan and John Wayne in many of his old western movies. My dad bought me a dual cap-gun holster set and sheriff’s badge. I would play for hours, pretending I was a sheriff from the old west and slept with the guns under my pillow.”

Dan is a Spokane County native and the son of a union millwright and stay-at-home mom. He comes from a line of ranchers, farmers, and construction professionals. As pioneers in the homeschool movement in the 1980’s, Dan’s parents were committed to homeschooling their children. As part of the homeschool environment, he was encouraged to pursue a broad range of education at an early age including Spokane state and national history, music, theology, archeology, and the exploration of the great outdoors. Dan has always been a bright and inquisitive student, often needing to be given additional and more challenging assignments. He became a homeschool graduate in 1993 at the age of seventeen.

At the age of 8 Dan started his first business venture, “A Quality Cut Without Getting Clipped” providing neighborhood lawncare. He rented his dad’s lawnmower, hauled equipment on a modified bicycle, and rode to neighborhood homes to provide landscaping services. He eventually landed his first two commercial accounts, one of those for Aslin-Finch, a long-time Feed & Pet Supply store in Spokane. To this day he has the original accounting books from his first start-up operation. As a 13-year-old, Dan would routinely walk from his home in the early mornings down to the local donut shop to sit with the old timers and listen while they shared their stories and talked politics. Even though these old timers were predominantly blue dog democrats, Dan actively engaged them in debate, referencing his republican leanings, ultimately earning their respect even as a young kid.

Music was an integral part of Dan’s family as he was encouraged to play piano and fiddle. He eventually found a love for the acoustic guitar, playing lead in his family’s band that performed in Spokane and North Idaho. At the age of 14 he became president of the Spokane, Washington Jr. Hoedowners Association and was also a committed volunteer leader for the AWANA association from 1988 to 2000.

Dan Wilson (on right) with Liberty Country Band 1997

ADULTHOOD

Husband, Father, Business Owner, Executive Protection Agent, and Reserve Police Officer

“Starting a general contracting company from scratch is not for the faint of heart. It was a love-hate relationship while I poured blood, sweat, and tears into starting Rockin’ DW Construction. As a young man, I met a lot of resistance in an industry that’s dominated by older men with far more experience. I worked extra hard on nights and weekends to maintain and grow into what the company now is over 24 years strong with some impressive national and DOD accounts.”

In 1999 at the age of 24 Dan was offered a move to Nashville to work with a professional record label but as a first-time father, chose to step away from his music career. It was a difficult but necessary decision as he shifted his focus toward supporting his young family. He continued as a small works superintendent for a general contractor but after being laid off in 2000, he formed his own company, Rockin’ DW Construction, which incorporated in 2001. By 2008 Dan was a devoted family man as a father to his 5 children Rebekah, Ethan, Liberty, Honor, and Adeline.

“As a kid, whenever I saw danger, I never wanted to be the one who was taken care of by other people. I wanted to join in the fight to be the one taking care of others. I never wanted to be dependent on someone else to save me, I wanted to do the saving. It’s a yearning that starts in your soul and it never leaves. To this day, when I see the blue and red lights, I long to be in the fight.”

Dan began studying the US Constitution on his own when he was old enough to drive to bookstores and purchase books about the Constitution and our country’s Founders. Over the years he has continued his studies of American history and the Constitution as he has observed the reduction of our rights as citizens after the events of 9/11 and the Patriot Act. He is also enrolled in Hillsdale College’s online courses for American History and the US Constitution.

RESERVE POLICE OFFICER

Even as Dan was living a full and productive life in his mid-30’s, he still had an unrealized ambition to fight crime and protect the citizens of his community by becoming a police officer. At the age of 35 he enrolled in the Spokane Police Reserve Academy and became a commissioned reserve police officer in the state of Washington and for the city of Spokane.

In 2011 he was awarded Rookie of the Year by the Spokane Police Department. He served for four years as a commissioned reserve police officer for Spokane PD and was a Spokane Police Competitive Shooting Team member from 2012-2013. He transferred to Liberty Lake Police Department in December of 2014 where he served as a commissioned reserve officer and was awarded Volunteer of the Year by Liberty Lake PD in 2016. Dan was a patrolman with single car status at the Liberty Lake PD until March 2023.

Also, at the age of 35 Dan attended Executive Protection School in Stockton, CA, and graduated as a Certified Executive Protection agent. He later served on Fortune 500 executive personal detail routinely for over the course of 5 years in the high-risk environments of Mexico. Dan was both an Advance Agent and Detail Leader. He has also provided protection services for two 2016 Presidential Candidates along with numerous celebrities, entertainers, and other at-risk individuals. Dan retired from Personal Security work in 2017 when he unexpectedly became a single father to his 4 minor children including one special needs daughter.

Dan was eventually able to realize another life-long dream, to move across the border from Spokane, Washington to become a resident of north Idaho in 2020. Dan and his wife Dawna have a combined 8 children and are looking forward to continuing to build a lifetime of memories as a family and as proud Idahoans. Dan and Dawna are a team and work together on common goals and interests and co-hosts of The Original Unspoken Podcast.

COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP AND VOLUNTEER SERVICE

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.