COEUR d'ALENE - Kootenai County's sheriff and four police chiefs signed a letter late last month requesting that Coeur d'Alene get a behavioral-health crisis center.

The Idaho Legislature has approved funding for such a facility, but both Boise and Idaho Falls are also being considered as locations for it.

"When federal funding ceased for involuntary commitments in the 1980s and mental health facilities/hospitals were forced to close down, all law enforcement agencies throughout the nation struggled to find a suitable facility that was appropriate for both voluntary and involuntary patients," the law enforcement officials wrote.

"This unfortunate decision placed a burden on all communities and law enforcement agencies that had to deal with mental illness," according to the March 20 letter.

It was written to state Sen. John Goedde and signed by Sheriff Ben Wolfinger, Coeur d'Alene Police Chief Ron Clark, Post Falls Chief Scot Haug, Rathdrum Chief Kevin Fuhr, and Spirit Lake Chief Keith Hutcheson.

This past legislative session, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare requested one-time startup funding of $600,000 for three of the crisis centers. That money would have covered facility renovations, vehicles, kitchen and laundry equipment, bedding and furniture. The department received that funding, said department spokesman Tom Shanahan.

The department also requested ongoing operational funding of $4.56 million to run facilities in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Falls and Boise.

The Legislature only approved reduced funding of $1.52 million, meaning only one could open, Shanahan said. The state would contract the operations to a community partner or agency.

Shanahan said the department will be sending out requests for information in the next two to three weeks to the three communities.

The requests will seek information about the communities' level of need for the services, how quickly the communities could have a crisis center up and running, and if community contribution is possible.

The communities will have about a month to respond, Shanahan said.

The department will then make a decision on what community, or communities, get a crisis center based on those responses, Shanahan said. Two communities could potentially split the money for individual crisis centers if there are community contributions that could help fund the remainder of operations costs.

"We won't know a whole lot more for another 6 to 8 weeks," Shanahan said.

"There were, and always are, more requests for funding than there is funding available" to appropriate during a legislative session, said Goedde, a Coeur d'Alene Republican. He said legislators from North Idaho are well aware of the need expressed by law enforcement in the letter.

He said Boise has more assets available to provide for behavioral health services than either Coeur d'Alene or Idaho Falls.

"Coeur d'Alene and North Idaho needs to sit down and develop a plan for how to sell itself," Goedde said.

In the letter, the officers said Kootenai Health has limited space for involuntary mental holds.

Once that space is filled, the patients must be taken to Lewiston. "However, lately, the facility in Lewiston is not available; therefore, the next closest facility is in Boise, Idaho," according to the letter.

The transports are costly.

"This crisis center would benefit everyone, not only in Kootenai County but the surrounding counties as well, all of whom have the same issues with mental holds," the officers wrote. "We have worked diligently with Kootenai Health staff and have been able to alleviate some of these issues, but this is only a temporary solution at best."

They said there has been a steady increase in mental holds.

"We welcome the opportunity to be the recipient of the first crisis center that is accessible to all, including those living in rural areas," the officers wrote.