The U.S. Attorney's Office, United States Marshals Service and all of our partner federal law enforcement agencies are committed to working in close partnership with City Police Departments, County Sheriff's Offices, the Idaho State Police, the Idaho State Attorney General's Office and Idaho's Prosecuting Attorneys to ensure that Idaho communities jointly have the resources to identify and prosecute methamphetamine traffickers, to aggressively pursue predators who sexually exploit children, to target violent criminal street gang members, and to stop the financial fraud that plagues our weakened economy.

The laws we enforce are enacted by independent legislative bodies. However, we believe it is important to state that limits of any sort on cooperative law enforcement efforts jeopardize public and law enforcement officer safety. We believe no law enforcement officer, at any level, should have to think about whether he or she will also face criminal charges simply because he or she is assisting a fellow law enforcement officer.

In Idaho, there are currently 50 state, county and city law enforcement officers deputized federally to work with FBI, ATF, DEA and U.S. Marshals Service task forces. These task forces deal with drug, gang, violent and child sexual exploitation crime. These task forces function well because each officer knows that he or she can trust every other officer on that task force in every operation, every day.

A few examples are in order. In May 2011, Deputy U.S. Marshals, Pocatello Police Department officers and Federal Bureau of Investigation special agents combined to identify, investigate and arrest two men who traveled from Las Vegas to Idaho with the intent to engage in sexual activity with 12-year-old Pocatello girls. The two men are now spending time in a federal prison.

In December 2011, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives special agents, Ponderay Police Department officers and Bonner County Sheriff's Office deputies worked together to bring to justice a Sandpoint woman and a Clark Fork man who stole more than 30 firearms from a Ponderay business. Both defendants received federal prison sentences.

In May 2011, when two Fruitland men schemed to set fires in Payette to divert law enforcement while they broke into the World's Largest Pawn Shop and stole firearms, the Fruitland Police Department, Payette Police Department, Payette County Sheriff's Office, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Idaho State Fire Marshal cooperatively investigated. Their work secured a guilty verdict at trial and, in February of this year, a federal prison sentence for one defendant. Court proceedings are ongoing for the second defendant.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Boise, Pocatello and Twin Falls Police Departments together investigated thefts of ATM machines from Idaho college campuses, resulting last month in federal bank larceny charges against a Las Vegas man.

More formally, federal, state, county and city law enforcement officers work together on a number of task forces in Idaho. In just the last two years, the work of the Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crime Task Force, composed of 10 different federal, state and city law enforcement agencies, resulted in federal and state prosecution of more than 60 gang members on gun, drug and gang charges. Similarly, five federal, state and city law enforcement agencies cooperatively attack gun and drug crime in Idaho's northern counties through the North Idaho Violent Crime Task Force.

Throughout Idaho, state, county and city law enforcement officers work with the U.S. Marshals Service fugitive task force. They identify and arrest those for whom warrants have been issued and who pose a direct threat to Idaho's men, women and children. Six federal, county and local agencies serve on a Drug Enforcement Administration-sponsored task force that combats drug trafficking in Idaho. Federal law enforcement also combines intelligence and training resources with state specialized investigating units, including Idaho's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Idaho Sex Offender Watch Task Forces.

We are both Idaho natives with long careers in law enforcement prior to our current appointed positions. We are committed to the public safety of the Idaho communities we grew up in and that we now serve as representatives of the federal government. We have been and will continue to be strong partners of state, county, city and tribal law enforcement.

It is our honor to work to protect people who live in Idaho - and no single law enforcement agency can do this alone. We collectively have the backs of every agency with which we work. A stable constitutional government relies on the rule of law as a foundation principle - and for law enforcement at all levels to enforce the law. On honoring our oath of office, and for working together for public safety, you have our word.

Wendy J. Olson is U.S. Attorney for the District of Idaho, and Brian T. Underwood is the U.S. Marshal for the District of Idaho.