Law enforcement leaders in North Idaho face a significant problem in getting new hires properly trained, but the Idaho Peace Officer Standards and Training council shouldn’t be so desperate that it chooses to team up with Blackwater USA, the private security firm that is the subject of an FBI investigation and grand jury probe into fatal shootings of Iraqi citizens.

Some police chiefs were surprised to learn that POST executive director Jeff Black had signed a letter of intent to pursue a possible partnership with Blackwater, which is building a facility between Coeur d’Alene and Worley. State Rep. Jim Clark, R-Hayden, was also not in the loop. But he has read a proposal from Post Falls Police Chief Kevin Fuhr to team up with North Idaho College on a training academy and finds it promising.

Black says that because of technicalities in state law, NIC would not be able to train officers who have already been hired. Coeur d’Alene Police Chief Wayne Longo replied that if that is the case, then it’s time to change state law.

It’s not clear that anyone besides Black is interested in working with Blackwater. Kootenai County Sheriff Rocky Watson has said that he talked with Blackwater representatives and they said they were building a military training facility. Some fear that Blackwater would provide the training.

Black says that isn’t the case. He would be interested in leasing space that would be too expensive for the state to build. But Watson correctly points to the problem such an arrangement would pose.

“As sheriff, I don’t want my officers going to that facility just because of public perception. Our reputation is important to us. I don’t know if Blackwater did everything that was reported in the media. They’ve now obtained the reputation.”

The New York Times reported that FBI agents found that at least 14 of the 17 shooting deaths during a Sept. 16, 2007, episode in Iraq were unjustified. An Iraqi government probe determined that the shootings were not provoked. The U.S. Justice Department is looking into possible criminal charges.

A congressional report showed that Blackwater has had to fire more than 120 people – or nearly one-seventh of its workforce in Iraq – for inappropriate conduct and violent behavior. Between 2005 and 2007, the firm had been involved in 195 shooting incidents. The Iraqi prime minister wants Blackwater to leave the country.

Getting involved with Blackwater at this point would be foolish. Idaho needs to find a way to solve its police training problem without dragging down the