Roos Aims For Record 3rd Term Robinson: Sheriff’s Office Needs Better Communication

For eight years, Chip Roos has been Bonner County’s straight-talkin’ sheriff, a quality that’s helped make him the first two-term sheriff here in 20 years.

Roos is aiming for a record three terms in office and says he has the experience and a long list of accomplishments to back up his no-nonsense attitude.

“I’ve been in law enforcement here in excess of 19 years. This is my career,” Roos said. He noted that he - unlike his opponent - has experience as a jail administrator. “You can’t talk the talk if you can’t walk the walk.”

Roos is being challenged by Democrat Pete Robinson, who works as a security guard in Spokane. Robinson doesn’t discount Roos’ years of service with the county but says it’s time for new blood and new ideas in the sheriff’s office.

“As a sheriff, you are an administrator and public relations person first,” Robinson said, noting Idaho does not require a sheriff to be a certified police officer.

“Anyone can follow procedures. The biggest problem here is communication with the public and prosecutor’s office. I want to fix that.”

Robinson said he has fielded complaints about rude dispatchers, deputies and others working in the sheriff’s office. The Sheriff’s Department has forgotten it is a public servant, and that needs to change, Robinson said.

“I want to reopen that door of communication, and for me, it’s real simple,” he said. “I will tell (employees) they don’t work for me - they work with me, and we work with the people. If they don’t agree, they will be looking for another job.”

Roos admits tension exists with the prosecutor’s office. Officers were angry after a deputy was shot in the line of duty and no charges were pressed against the suspect.

Still, Roos says his door always is open to the public and he has worked on programs to benefit the community. The sheriff recently landed a $325,000 grant to hire four more officers for a community policing program. He pushed for a new $3.9 million jail, which taxpayers approved months ago, and started a program to put inmates to work for the county. All of the programs will serve the community and save taxpayers money, Roos said.

“I’ve given the majority of my adult life to law enforcement, and my staff and I have done many things to help control costs and better serve the people of this county.”

During his tenure, Roos opened a juvenile detention center, started a canine unit, the DARE program, and a junior law enforcement and search and rescue program.

The sheriff, who has achieved the highest level of training available in Idaho, now wants to oversee construction of the new jail and start a domestic violence task force to help abused spouses.

Robinson said he will push for a rural Block Watch program and make better use of the county’s three DARE officers.

“I’m for the DARE program, but we need to do more to battle the drug and alcohol problems here,” he said.

Robinson wants to hold monthly meetings in outlying areas to improve communication with residents and change law enforcement’s “bad guy” image.

“We are peace officers before we are police officers,” he said. “We need to go back to being public servants in the sheriff’s department, that is what this race is all about.”

The job pays $35,200 a year.

, DataTimes