Hayden Council Puts Politics Ahead of Public Safety

There are moments in government when elected officials must put personalities and politics aside and focus on their most basic responsibility: protecting the public.

The Hayden City Council failed that test Tuesday night.

Hayden’s elected officials voted to NOT RENEW Hayden’s 2027 law-enforcement contract with the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office. The current agreement expires Sept. 30. According to The Coeur d’Alene Press, the city has no plan to replace it (article here).

Think about that for a moment.

Hayden’s elected officials canceled the city’s law-enforcement contract without first establishing a police department or securing another law-enforcement provider. That is not thoughtful planning. It is gambling with the safety of Hayden residents.

Councilman Matt Roetter made it clear that his problem was not with the deputies assigned to Hayden. His objection was largely directed at me and a white paper I wrote about the increasing cost of providing sheriff services to growing cities.

That white paper was intended to begin a statewide discussion—not end one. It asks a simple question: If an incorporated city controls its annexation, density and growth, at what point should it become responsible for the additional law-enforcement costs that growth creates…especially when those costs exceed the county taxes paid from those city residents?

Growth should pay for itself. That includes public safety.

The proposal specifically excludes cities that maintain their own police departments or enter into contracts with their county sheriff. This would exclude Hayden, since it has maintained a law enforcement contract for many years.

Yet Hayden’s council responded by canceling its contract and placing Hayden into the very category the paper was written to address: a growing city without its own police department or a sheriff’s contract.

That makes no sense.

On June 3, 2026 the Hayden City Manager sent me an email stating the Council dedicated $1,080,470 toward law enforcement services. Until yesterday Hayden was set to contract for four patrol deputies, one detective and one animal-control officer. Canceling the FY27 agreement does not eliminate crime, traffic problems, domestic disturbances, burglaries, assaults or emergency calls. It only eliminates Hayden’s contractual claim to personnel assigned to serve the city.

Yes, the sheriff retains a statutory responsibility to enforce state law throughout Kootenai County. But baseline minimum countywide responsibility is not the same as contracted municipal coverage. Without a contract, deputies must be allocated across the entire county based on available staffing, call priority and operational needs.

Who will provide Hayden’s dedicated patrol presence after Sept. 30? How many deputies will be available? What response times should residents expect? What happens when Hayden and the unincorporated county simultaneously experience serious calls?

The council apparently cannot answer those questions because it does not yet have a replacement plan.

Councilman Ed DePriest suggested that Hayden might create an ordinance-enforcement department because many citizen concerns involve traffic and animals. But ordinance enforcement is not police protection. A code-enforcement officer cannot arrest a violent offender, investigate a burglary, stop an impaired driver or respond to an active threat.

Hayden leaders have raised legitimate questions about accountability. Their consultant reportedly found that 61.2% of deputy working hours were “unaccounted for.” If that number is accurate, it should be investigated and corrected. The city is entitled to understand what it is purchasing.

But what is the responsible approach—require better reporting or cancel law enforcement before a replacement exists?

Ironically, my paper recommends exactly what Hayden says it wants: accurate timekeeping, transparent costs, documented services and records that can be audited. Instead of working with the county to improve accountability, the council used the absence of complete data as an excuse to reject the contract altogether.

The Sheriff's Office Can Provide Reporting...But They Don't

For the last year I have worked closely with our dispatch software provider (Motorola) toward creating electronic reports. But I have also encouraged the Sheriff’s Office to create paper time logs to ensure that any electronic reporting is accurate and to start giving city leaders some degree of accountability.

The Sheriff's Office has been provided a template to start paper reports. I even stated to Sheriff's Office personnel I'd support an hourly stipend for Hayden Deputies to maintain time logs.

Unfortunately, the Sheriff’s Office will not provide Hayden (it's largest client) with any time reporting. They've never provided an explanation to the BOCC or Hayden for this.

Conversely, Hayden’s decision to cancel the contract does not work toward accountability. Instead, it creates uncertainty for its citizens.

The proper course was obvious: extend the existing contract while negotiating stronger reporting requirements or developing a fully funded, professionally staffed Hayden Police Department. Public safety should remain in place during that transition.

You do not tear down the bridge before building the replacement.

The city also claims the county has not provided enough information about Hayden residents’ Justice Fund contributions. Yet the county’s analysis in my paper already credited Hayden residents for their estimated patrol contribution. That paper can be downloaded at the bottom of this article.

The disagreement is not over whether Hayden residents pay county taxes. They do. The question is whether those payments cover the extraordinary volume of sheriff resources consumed inside the city.

That is precisely why we need better data.

If the council believes my paper’s calculations are incomplete, then help improve them. If it believes the proposed legislation needs safeguards, recommend them.

If it believes Hayden can operate its own police department more efficiently, present the staffing plan, cost and implementation schedule to the public. But do not cancel the existing contract because you dislike a county commissioner’s policy paper.

Public safety is not a negotiating tactic. It is not a political weapon. It is a fundamental responsibility of government.

The Hayden City Council should immediately reconsider its decision, extend the current contract and resolve its differences with the county without placing residents in the middle.

Hayden citizens deserve accountability for their tax dollars. More importantly, they deserve to know that when they call for help, someone will be there in a timely manner.

White Paper 01-20-26.pdf

Download PDF • 1.87MB

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