Police chief sets goals for Spirit Lake

When Wiley Ronnenberg took over as Spirit Lake’s chief of police last November, he set both long- and short-term goals for the department.

Judging by his accomplishments already, Ronnenberg does not take long to carry out his objectives.

“One of the first things I’ve tackled is getting 24-hour police coverage for the city,” said Ronnenberg, who has lived in Idaho since the age of 12 and is a graduate of Troy High School.

Until now, the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department patrolled the city from 2 to 6 a.m., but Ronnenberg thought it would be better if the city police force patrolled around the clock. With some changes in the schedule, he was able to achieve that goal without adding another officer.

“We’ve been running 24 hours since the beginning of February,” said Ronnenberg, who already has seen the positive impact the change has had on residents. “It has helped the community to have patrol officers they know responding to their calls.”

Although new to the police chief job, the 38-year-old is no stranger to the rapidly growing city of Spirit Lake. Prior to becoming chief, he was a sergeant and patrol officer in the department.

Now as chief, the father of three children, who range in age from 4 to 18, is setting goals for the community.

Ronnenberg said that with the growth the community is experiencing, he would like to add another patrol officer in the next budget cycle. His long-range goals include new equipment and even a new facility.

The population “is really expanding,” said Ronnenberg, who adds that with so many students from outlying areas attending Spirit Lake schools, the population usually is close to 3,000 when school is in session.

With the city’s growth have come many new housing projects.

“Housing prices have doubled or probably tripled in the past six years,” said Ronnenberg.

Growth also has brought an increase in thefts of building materials.

Since starting work in Spirit Lake six years ago, Ronneberg has seen not only growth but also a significant change in the types of calls the Police Department receives.

“When I started out, we responded to a lot of fights and domestic calls,” said Ronnenberg. “Now there are a lot of dog-barking calls and reckless-driving calls.”

He said his officers receive an average of two or three calls per night between 2 and 6 a.m.

“A lot of people are noticing we are out,” said Ronnenberg. “We are having a real impact on the drivers out there.”

But one issue that seems to be ongoing is animal control.

“Our dog problem is a never-ending problem,” said Ronnenberg, referring to calls the department receives about constant barking.

Another common problem in rural areas is methamphetamine use, and Spirit Lake is not immune. Six years ago, there were a lot of meth houses, but, Ronnenberg said, those have become less common.

“But we still have a lot of meth use,” he said.

Because the department is small, with five officers including himself – four reserve officers and one administrator – there is not a specific drug force to handle the drug problem. However, officers are trained to handle all calls from start to finish.

As chief, Ronnenberg also patrols daily, which allows him to stay in close contact with the community. He works primarily Mondays through Fridays but fills in on weekends when needed.

Turnover is an issue in the department. During the past year, the force has lost a couple of officers, one who took a position in a police department closer to where he lives and another who moved to be closer to loved ones.

“One of my main goals is to establish a group (of officers) in the community that the residents feel comfortable with,” said Ronnenberg.

And he thinks he has just the staff to accomplish that.

“My officers are doing an outstanding job,” he said.