Boise Police Department

As calls to defund the police continue in Boise and other cities across the country, a new chief of police is leading the department in Idaho's capital city. Chief Ryan Lee began his role July 1 after years working for the Portland Police Deparment. 

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: Criminal Justice. That led him to a Master of Criminal Justice degree from Boston University, nearly two decades with the Portland (Ore.) Police Department and, ultimately, the top job with the Boise Police Department.

(This interview is the first of a two-part show about policing in Idaho. You can find the second half — on defunding the police — here.)

After the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police in May, people around the country been asking tough questions about policing in America — including in Idaho. 

(This interview is the second of a two-part show about policing in Idaho. You can find the first half — on the history of policing and the laws that protect officers — here.)

Amid the protests against the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless other Black people by police in the the past months and years, activists quickly formulated one central demand: Defund the police. 

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 about nationwide calls to defund police departments.

Lee said he understands the sentiment, but he believes funding remains necessary to train officers and offer effective community policing.

With the number of COVID-19 cases in the Gem State continuing to climb, there has been plenty of debate regarding Idaho’s enforcement of social distancing, or the lack of it, particularly when it comes to local  businesses.

In three weeks, Boise Police Chief Bill Bones will retire from his position after 27 years with the department. Idaho Matters talks to Chief Bones for an "exit interview" about his time with the BPD, his thoughts on changes in the department over the years, what he's looking forward to in retirement and the class of police coming up behind him.

Summer is coming and the Boise Police Department and St. Luke's are launching a campaign to remind parents of the dangers of leaving children in hot cars. BPD detective Tonya Newberry and Josie Bryan of St. Luke's join Idaho Matters to talk about the "Look Before You Lock" campaign.

Idaho Matters speaks with Boise Police Department sergent John Terry about how to spot scams targeting the region.

The Boise Police Department is out with a report offering residents of the City of Trees a snapshot of the agency.

Calls for service are up, but crime is down and response times have improved. The 2018 Report to Citizens from Boise PD outlines trends like those and details where the department is focusing its efforts.

This week is National Teen Driving Safety Week and we look at efforts to build the groundwork for safe driving from an early age.

Boise City Council has signed off on turning one of the city’s few gay bars into a new police substation.

Boise Police have a new tool in their crime fighting arsenal: drones. However, the Boise Police Department calls them unmanned aerial vehicles.   The department now has four drones, and four officers have FAA Remote Pilot Certification.

Update, 1:49 p.m. Monday: The suspect in Saturday night’s mass stabbing is now facing first-degree murder charges after one of the victims died at a Utah hospital.

Boise Police arrested a former local pastor who was held captive in Iran for the better part of three years for violating a no contact order with his estranged wife.

Late last month, the magazine Pacific Standard published a profile entitled, "King of Boise, The Life and Times of a Teenage Oxycodone Dealer."

Applications are open for a new community advisory panel with the Boise Police Department. The idea is to build trust between the police and the people they serve.

A Boise Police officer who was shot in November during a manhunt says he is paralyzed from the waist down.

It was November when police tracked down Marco Romero on the Boise Bench after his alleged crime spree that included a Meridian shooting and a carjacking. The manhunt ended in a shootout, leaving Romero dead and two BPD officers and one K9 officer injured.