COEUR D’ ALENE, Idaho – The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) has clarified their emergency response policies in conjunction with Coeur d’ Alene Tribe law enforcement.
A recent statement from the sheriff’s office reaffirmed the office’s relationship with the Coeur d’ Alene Tribe.
“KCSO has a very strong and supportive relationship with the Coeur d’Alene Tribe and all of the residents on the reservation,” KCSO said.
According to KCSO, there have been questions from community members as to whether the sheriff’s office responds to emergency calls on tribal land. They stated that their response to 911 calls is context dependent.
“When a resident calls KCSO Dispatch requesting law enforcement to respond, the dispatcher will confirm if the caller is in fact a tribal or non-tribal member. If the caller is a non-tribal member, they can request that a Deputy Sheriff respond to handle the call for service,” KCSO said.
The office emphasized that this is not a change in policy, and is standard KCSO practice.
