Kim Edmondson, a mainstay at the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office who most recently ran an unsuccessful campaign for sheriff, is calling it a career.

Edmondson is retiring as captain after 29 years in law enforcement. She told The Press the timing was right to move on.

“I’ve been eligible for this for a while,” Edmondson said. “I’ve been thinking about it. I had this opportunity, and I just decided it was time.”

The longtime county lawwoman said she’s learned quite a few things along the way, starting with a lesson she was often reminded of during the worst days of some people’s lives.

“Good people often make mistakes,” she said. “You need to treat people with dignity. Everyone needs to be treated with respect. Treat people the way you’d want someone to treat your kids, or your grandkids.”

Speaking of grandkids, Edmondson said she's eager to spend her time in retirement with her 11-year-old granddaughter, Hunter, not to mention her five horses. She’s also going to spend some time on her ranch growing her passion: hops.

“I have about an eighth-of-an-acre,” she said. “Some people sell eggs. Some people grow tomatoes. I grow hops.”

Edmondson added that she also plans to put her master's degree in organizational leadership to use as she works on projects, including a forthcoming book on servant leadership.

Edmondson ran for sheriff in 2020 on the Republican ticket. Her campaign focused on fostering mental health improvements in the community, responsibly managing the Sheriff’s Office during an era of unprecedented growth, and improving a jail that often finds itself broaching maximum capacity.

She came in a strong second in May in the Republican primary to now-Sheriff Bob Norris, taking in just under 27 percent of the vote to Norris’s 44 percent.

Norris told The Press Edmondson’s dedication to the KCSO won’t be forgotten.

“Capt. Edmondson has served this community and the Sheriff’s Office with honor and distinction,” he said. “Kim is a valued co-worker, and I wish her health and happiness in her new journey.”

That journey will begin at 5:01 p.m. on May 17, her last day at work.

“I’ve made a lot of friends here,” Edmondson said. “It’s really more like family. I look around at the people I’ve come to work with: We’ve all grown old there. I’ve spent half my life at the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office. But it’s time. A lot of things are changing, and we need to make way for some new faces.”