Checkman said:
Wow. I live in Idaho and I've been a cop in Idaho for the past twelve years. Do we have that many cops in Idaho? Because if we do somebody needs to get all those cops off of the sidewalks and start talking calls. We're lucky if we have seven officers working on a shift and I work for a city of 45,000. We're outnumbered and often overwhelmed. I would like to know where there is such a heavy police presence.
Hi Checkman.. I lived in the Boise area for a year. Well, actually I lived in a small town in the West Treasure Valley. Idaho is a big state and I don't know if you live in the Boise area or not. North Idaho seem liked a night and day difference from the South.
From the sounds of it, it doesn't seem like you spent much time in downtown Boise at night. Literally, every night and even more so on weekends, there would be anywhere from 6-20 police officers who just stand on the sidewalks and watch people go in and out of the clubs on the main street in downtown. Even though I am a law-abiding citizen and generally respect law enforcement, I felt uncomfortable with they way they were operating. It just reminded me of when I was in Africa with the police checkpoints and having police officers monitoring my every move, something I had yet to encounter anywhere in the USA. They also had a very intimidating demeanor to them. This was my interpretation about how they would stand with arms crossed looking at you. I felt very uncomfortable. I have nothing against police either, as I have known a few and even went shooting with some of them.
I agree with you about getting them off the street and wasting tax payer dollars to bust that one drunk rowdy guy and putting them where they are needed. I hear the town of Caldwell is seriously understaffed and suffering from a crime problem. How come these police who just sit around in downtown Boise cannot help out the departments where there is more dire need for them, like Caldwell?
I do admit downtown Boise is a bit wild, but it certainly isn't worthy of the massive number of police I see there.
I have literally seen a group of 5 police officers drag a single drunk guy who was not even resisting into a police car. Yes, they dragged him! People told me that he mouthed off to some of the cops, which resulted in his subsequent arrest.
I'm sorry if people are offended, but I do feel like parts of Idaho feel like a police state, especially the city of Boise. I did not feel free at all. One night I stopped for about 15 minutes to talk to some girls on the sidewalk who were coming home from the bar. A police officer decided to make circles around us and intimidate us. He would just go round and round. Even though we probably shouldn't have been talking for so long, I have never experienced this phenomenon in Portland or Seattle.
Considering, Idaho is a "Red State", I was disappointed living in the Treasure Valley.
ON the other hand I enjoyed my time in North Idaho and felt very welcomed there and it seemed very laid back. South Idaho just doesn't even seem like the same state.