Ryan Lee

A lawsuit against Boise and its former police chief will cost six times more in legal fees than originally expected.

Former Boise Police Chief Ryan Lee left his post in September under a cloud of controversy. Now, a former Internal Affairs Captain has filed a lawsuit against the city of Boise, saying officials did not protect police officers working under Lee. KTVB reporter Alex Duggan has been following this story and joins Idaho Matters to talk more about this story.

The first item on Boise Mayor Lauren McLean’s checklist in the effort to recruit a new police chief for the City of Trees was to secure stability in the rank-and-file. So, her first order of business was make Acting Police Chief Ron Winegar, Interim Police Chief Ron Winegar. Simply put, the person that McLean asked to come out of retirement in order to temporarily replace the recently ousted Chief Ryan Lee will now be sticking around for a while… possibly up to a year or more.

Boise Mayor Lauren Mclean sat down with our Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about the reasons leading to her decision to show Lee the door, the process of finding a new chief and how she’ll be holding a series of listening sessions with the rank-and-file.

When Boise Mayor Lauren McLean asked for and received, the resignation of Ryan Lee in late September, she said the then-police chief was “struggling from a management perspective.” Making matters worse, too much ill will had spilled into the rank-and-file, leading some to think about leaving the department.

Breaking down the investigation into Boise Police Chief Ryan Lee's resignation.

In the early afternoon of June 11, a person wishing to remain anonymous called Coeur d’Alene police to say dozens of men had been loading up into a U-Haul in a hotel parking lot, like “a little army.” Before the day was over, news organizations across the nation detailed the arrests of 31 men, each charged with conspiracy to riot at a Coeur d’Alene Pride rally.

Ryan Lee had no intention of being a cop ... initially. A veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard, in fact it was the Guard that chose his college degree:…

The new Boise police chief, Ryan Lee, replaces Bill Bones, who retired from the job after 27 years. At a press conference Wednesday, Lee fielded questions…