Keith Hutcheson wants to take his administrative experience to the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office.

He's finishing up his contract as the Coeur d'Alene Tribe's police chief to make a run in November at succeeding Rocky Watson as sheriff. Watson is retiring.

"I'm all in," said Hutcheson, referring to his campaign run and the risk of being unemployed if he's not elected. "I want to show the public that I'm not dabbling and crossing any lines. I want the position, so I need to focus on the run for sheriff."

Hutcheson, who ends his contract with the tribe on Oct. 4, said it was a mutual decision to part ways. He said he'll still be on board to assist the future chief during the transition, yet he'll still be able to hit the campaign trail for sheriff.

Hutcheson has been the tribe's chief for the past six years and previously worked for the Kootenai County Sheriff's Department for eight years, including as the senior K-9 handler.

With the tribe, Hutcheson said he has built a department that had one computer and no records and processing systems to one that has laptops in patrol cars and is on the brink of implementing e-ticketing.

"With technology, the department has grown leaps and bounds," he said. "I went away and I learned a tremendous amount."

Hutcheson also implemented a foot patrol program. He oversees 17 full-time employees and four reserves.

"I needed to sit in a seat that makes decisions," he said.

He said becoming a sheriff has been his goal. And Kootenai County is where he wants to stay.

"It's the next step," he said. "I want to take what I've learned from building a department from the ground up into the sheriff's department."

Hutcheson said he brings a fresh perspective to the table.

He believes he could make a difference with technological advances for the department.

"I have the connections nationally," he said.

Hutcheson said he would like to see crime "plotted" so the public can see local crime trends or hotspots on their own computers.

He believes the public could also be better engaged through online sources such as Twitter and Facebook.

"It would be nice to inform residents of incidents in the area," he said. "Accident on Interstate 90, Milepost 6, avoid that area.

"I'd like to use technology to get information out faster. It's a monumental task, costs money and it doesn't happen overnight, but technology can help you get places. If you have the right tools, it will save you money if you can explain how it will work."

Hutcheson said that since a jail expansion proposal has been voted down twice, a fresh outlook on the issue may be needed. He said he would also look into increasing the number of deputies to improve response time.

"I do think there is a shortage of deputies," he said.

Hutcheson said he would like to get a feel for how the department is run, then tap into the talent.

"There's some very talented individuals working for the sheriff's department and they need to be able to spread their wings a bit," he said.

He said he would also like to solicit help from law enforcement retirees.

"We have a lot of retirees in this area who would love to work cold cases for us," Hutcheson said.

Hutcheson, 43, has lived in Post Falls since 1996 and continues to train law enforcement dogs. He has served as a Kootenai County Fire and Rescue commissioner since 2002.

Prior to his previous stint at the KCSD, Hutcheson was a Benewah County deputy and served in the fire service. He has won several awards and holds multiple certificates in emergency response.

KCSD Maj. Ben Wolfinger earlier announced he'll seek the sheriff's job.