By Alexandra Duggan
The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.
KOOTENAI COUNTY, Idaho — Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris temporarily restored the special deputy status of Coeur d’Alene Police leaders just days after revoking it in an act of alleged “retaliatory” behavior, according to documents obtained by The Spokesman-Review.
Norris revoked those privileges from Coeur d’Alene police Chief Lee White, Capt. Dave Hagar and Rathdrum police Chief Dan Haley in early December, only for two of the three statuses to be restored less than a week later. The revocation of special deputy status, or privilege allowing a member of law enforcement to perform duties outside their jurisdiction, is “held in abeyance” pending further discussion with Norris, Undersheriff Brett Nelson wrote in a Dec. 16 email.
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“The sheriff and I are doing such not only for the benefit and safety of the citizens of Coeur d’Alene and Kootenai County, but also for that of the personnel of our respective agencies,” Nelson wrote to White and Hagar. “For decades, our agencies have worked together as mutual force multipliers to serve and protect our community and I want nothing more than for that to continue, especially for the safety of our personnel.”
While White and Hagar’s county roles were restored, Haley’s was not, he told The Spokesman-Review Tuesday.
He declined to comment further. Norris and the Coeur d’Alene Police Department also declined comment.
Norris originally canceled the deputy status of the three men without a stated reason. But White speculated in internal emails that the revocation had something to do with the department investigating Norris for his role in a disruptive Republican town hall on Feb. 22 that led to the arrests of multiple private security guards, and later the conviction of their supervisor. Paul Trouette was acquitted of some charges of battery and found guilty on others related to the incident following a three-day trial in December.
Haley, who became Rathdrum’s police chief in October, is a former Coeur d’Alene police detective who assisted in the initial investigation into the Republican town hall. He was the main investigator in the case and testified at length during Trouette’s trial, and repeatedly voiced concerns over people’s First Amendment rights to cheer and jeer during a public event.
Norris was captured on video grabbing and tugging the arm of a woman who was jeering at the emcee, threatening to pepper spray her if she did not leave and later directing unmarked security guards to remove her. He was absolved of any criminal wrongdoing in the incident by the Idaho Attorney General’s Office in November.
When White discovered he and Hagar’s statuses were revoked, he suggested Norris did it because police named him as an involved subject in their initial reports, according to previous reporting from The Spokesman-Review.
“Looks like CDAPD being the adults in the room may not satisfy Bob’s latest tantrum,” White wrote in an email to Coeur d’Alene Mayor Dan Gookin and City Administrator Troy Tymesen.
Canceling the men’s deputy statuses effectively banned White and Hagar from supervising their officers who are part of the area’s joint SWAT team, which is made up of 14 Coeur d’Alene police officers and seven Kootenai County deputies. Hagar voiced concern that police supervisors would no longer be able to assist in responding to “extremely dangerous” incidents outside the city, largely because deputy statuses are often given to police so they can assist nearby departments during large-scale incidents.
When two North Idaho firefighters were shot and killed in an ambush-style attack in June on Canfield Mountain , Coeur d’Alene police was one of several agencies to respond. If the shooting happened after police lost their deputy statuses, White and Hagar would not have been able to lead their team that day, according to previous reporting from The Spokesman-Review.
Nelson said Tuesday he looks “forward to working with the Coeur d’Alene Police Department for the betterment of our community.”
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