Father, Son State Troopers Working Together Capt. Willis Brownlee Returns To Head The Cda Office Where His Son Todd Works

Capt. Willis Brownlee has returned home.

After nine years away from North Idaho, the veteran police officer will head up the Idaho State Police’s Coeur d’Alene office.

He will replace Capt. Ralph Powell, the former district commander.

“I have deep-seated roots here,” Brownlee said from his new office.

“This is my home.”

Not only is it his home, but it’s also home to his son, ISP officer Todd Brownlee.

Although the father-son duo now works out of the same office, the Brownlees are serious about keeping police and family matters separate.

“He’s got to do his job on the street and I’ve got to do my job as an administrator,” Capt. Brownlee said.

Capt. Brownlee hired on with the ISP in 1966 and began working at Kootenai County’s old Huetter Port of Entry. He spent time patrolling in the Silver Valley and Coeur d’Alene while he and his wife, Ann, raised their two children.

Watching his father helped, in part, steer Todd Brownlee toward police work.

“I was around (ISP officers) all the time as a little kid,” Todd said. “I had a lot of respect for the officers.”

But on the job, Todd Brownlee is just another officer, his father said.

“All policemen have to put relationships out of their minds,” Capt. Brownlee said, adding that it helps that he trusts in his son’s ability as an officer.

Capt. Brownlee left North Idaho in 1987 when he was promoted to district commander in Boise.

But last month, Brownlee and Capt. Ralph Powell switched places.

Powell is now the district commander in the Boise office.

“Both of us requested a mutual transfer,” Brownlee said.

Capt. Brownlee’s goals during his tenure in North Idaho are:

Identify high accident areas for increased enforcement.

Offer better service to stranded motorists.

Look at the possibility of around-the-clock patrol. Currently, there are so few officers that ISP does not patrol the highway from 3 a.m. to 6 a.m.

“We still have limited resources,” Brownlee said. “Our resources result in us being more reactive but we would like to be more pro-active in reducing accidents.”

, DataTimes