WALLACE — The Wallace City Council approved its new contract with the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office during its monthly council meeting Wednesday night.

The five-year agreement came with some adjustments from their previous contract, but is a continuation of an agreement between the city of Wallace and the SCSO concerning the patrolling of the city, as well as responding to emergency calls.

The language of the contract is fairly simple in nature concerning the basic functionality of the agreement between the entities, but reads as follows:

The County agrees to provide law enforcement services within the city limits of the City of Wallace to enforce the laws of the State of Idaho, and the City of Wallace Municipal Code, and for prosecution of the same. City hereby authorizes the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office and Shoshone County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to enforce the laws of the State of Idaho, and the City of Wallace Municipal Code, pursuant to its authority in Idaho Code 67-2328. This Agreement shall include services related to prosecution of citations and/or arrests that occur within the city limits.

The contract also shows the pay schedule for the city and how the money is divvied up between SCSO and the Shoshone County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (seen in the attached graphic). 

The language adjustments in the contract are simple to explain and centered around automatic renewal of the agreement following the conclusion of it’s final year and requirements for early contract termination.

Instead of stating that the option for automatic renewal with annual review shall be effective until midnight on Sept. 30, 2025, the contract was edited to read:

This Agreement shall automatically renew on the first day of October of each subsequent year, under the same terms and conditions outlined herein, subject to annual review by the parties.

The original draft of the contract also contained language that required 60 days written notice before a termination of contract (should either party decide to do so), but was extended to 120 days.

“Continuing the Wallace law enforcement contract is one of the many good examples of the quality Sheriff’s Office personnel and leadership we have in Shoshone County,” said Shoshone County Commissioner Mike Fitzgerald. “I believe that, as happens daily throughout our community, the city of Wallace will be well-served by the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office.”

The contract will now go to the Board of County Commissioners for ratification.