SPIRIT LAKE — Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris fielded questions from the public about immigration, trafficking and other matters Wednesday during a Coffee with Your Sheriff event.

More than two dozen community members attended the event at Brickel Creek Coffee.

“No one is tighter on immigration than your Sheriff’s Office,” said Norris, reiterating his administration’s stance against illegal immigration activity in Kootenai County.

A recent report “from a non-official entity” falsely claimed Kootenai County is not cooperating with Immigration Customs and Enforcement, Norris said. 

Some community members also raised concerns about sex trafficking in Kootenai County.

“We do not have evidence that there is sex trafficking going on in Kootenai County,” Norris said.

However, Norris identified several “at risk” locations, such as local parks, and emphasized that social media use makes minors particularly vulnerable to sex trafficking.  

“Social media is not our friend,” he said. “I don’t think parents realize the harm these apps can do.”

Norris used the example of how a 16-year-old may think they’re chatting with another local teen online when it could be a much older individual from a different state.

The sheriff also touched on a positive ongoing trend in the county — since 2021, there have been no vessel-related deaths, injuries, or collisions on Kootenai County waterways. “We’ve had a heck of a year on the water,” he said.  

The topic of “cross deputization” became contentious during Wednesday’s event when Dan Wilson, who is running as an independent candidate in the race for county sheriff, asked Norris about “returning cross deputization cards, specifically to Spirit Lake PD.”

"Cross deputization" allows law enforcement personnel from different jurisdictions to gain jurisdictional privileges in criminal cases. Currently, there is no official law dictating the exact parameters for cross deputization in Idaho, though there are certain instances where cross deputization is acceptable.  

“I’m going to have that conversation with the Spirit Lake Police Department, I’m not going to have that conversation with you,” Norris responded, adding that the conversation with Spirit Lake PD is continuous.

Norris has two upcoming Community Conversation events that are open to the public: 10 a.m. Sept. 4 and 6 p.m. Sept. 25. Both events will be held at the Kootenai County Administration Building on Government Way in Coeur d'Alene. The sheriff will share end-of-season statistics, as well as information on current scams affecting Kootenai County residents.