Candidates declaring for
Boundary County Sheriff, 2016
January 5, 2015
With a little over a year until the process of electing the next Boundary County Sheriff officially begins with the Primary Election in 2016, a couple of candidates have already announced their intentions to seek the office.

Both have many years of law enforcement experience.

Dave Schuman, who currently serves as a Deputy in the Sheriff's Office, and who also has experience in the military police, announced his candidacy last summer.

Dave Kramer, former Chief of Police of the City of Bonners Ferry, who currently works with the North Idaho College Basic Patrol Academy, recently announced his candidacy.

Following is information on both of these candidates for Boundary County Sheriff.

DAVE SCHUMAN



Dave Schuman points to his 35 years of continuous, full-time law enforcement experience. "I can navigate the Sheriff’s Office direction to the point of where we need to be to maintain, improve and continue the quality of life that people enjoy in Boundary County," Mr. Schuman says.

He served for over 18 years in military law enforcement, supervising both U.S. Military personnel and U.S. civilians, along with foreign military and foreign civilians. He has managed law enforcement agencies, in many cases larger than our local department, in many different areas of the world.

Mr. Schuman moved with his family to Boundary County following his retirement from the military, and began working with the Boundary County Sheriff's Office.  He was first assigned to work at the Boundary County Jail, and worked there for a year, receiving Idaho Detention Officer Certification during that time. Following his year working with the jail, he was then transferred to Patrol duties, and received Idaho Peace Officer certification.

During his time in the local Sheriff's Office, Mr. Schuman has become a Corporal in the department, a certified detective, and a Narcotic Detection Canine Handler. He has worked with two canine partners over the past 12 years.

Mr. Schuman identifies six steps he plans to take should he be elected as Sheriff.

1. Community Partnership: He states that Boundary County has an admirable level of volunteerism, and hopes to take advantage of that quality, so citizens can help with programs such as Neighborhood Watch, youth Explorer programs, officer reserves, and other areas, such as assisting with background investigations, crime prevention programs, animal control, and with the Sheriff's posse.

2. Training: He realizes training will be required to fully implement this and some of his other ideas, and plans to make necessary training available.

3. Improve existing programs: He plans to make these improvements through use of organizational skills, and to set up maintenance programs for each section, which he hopes will identify areas where improvements might be needed.

4. Reduction of what he identifies as federal stranglehold on local law enforcement. This would be accomplished primarily by reducing the use of government grants, especially those that require monies or police actions. He plans to review all such grants to determine if they would be beneficial for the community.

5. Quality Control within the Sheriff's Office.

6. Accessibility and Accountability: Mr. Schuman pledges the Sheriff's Office will always be accessible to the community, and accountable for its actions. "Our goal is not so much to please everybody, but to be fair and equal to all," says Mr. Schuman.

"Your Sheriff must assist, protect and defend the community. This must be conducted in a fair and equal manner. As your Sheriff I answer directly to you."

"We had a philosophy in the military that I really enjoyed deploying, and I will continue to use it. That is: Every American is a leader, every leader can be lead as a member of a team, and any team of Americans can accomplish any task."
  DAVE KRAMER



Dave Kramer reports that he began his career as an Explorer with the Boundary County Sheriffs Office while still in high school. When he was old enough, he became a Reserve Officer with the Sheriff’s Department while attending college and studying Criminal Justice. Following college, Mr. Kramer was hired by the Bonners Ferry Police Department, where he served as a Patrol Officer, Assistant Chief of Police, and Police Chief.

He retired from the Bonners Ferry Police Department in 2008, after serving over 30 years, the last 20 years as Police Chief. After retiring from the department, Mr. Kramer remained a part-time Officer covering occasional patrol shifts when the department was shorthanded. In December 2013, the City of Bonners Ferry asked Mr. Kramer to come back as the Interim Police Chief to allow them time to advertise and hire a new Chief.

Mr. Kramer cites several areas of experience in law enforcement, in a variety of settings. He holds an Executive level certification, which is the highest level an officer can obtain in Idaho. He also has a degree in Criminal Justice, and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia.

He has been a Police Instructor for years in Idaho, teaching law enforcement training on a local and regional basis. He has served in the past as a Deputy with the Idaho Attorney General’s Office, under Idaho Attorney General Larry Echohawk, where he worked on the Idaho Complicated Crimes Task Force.

Currently Mr. Kramer is the Law Enforcement Coordinator for the North Idaho College Basic Patrol Academy, which trains law enforcement Officers. He has served in the past as Acting Director of the NIC Basic Patrol Academy, and has been an instructor in the Introduction to Criminal Justice course at the NIC campus, where he added a Law Enforcement Theory and Internship course which he also instructed.

Mr. Kramer is the current Director of Boundary County Emergency Management, which works with all the First Responder community and manages grants from Homeland Security, along with preparing for and helping during times of disasters.

Mr. Kramer also cites community and regional volunteer and leadership positions he has held, including serving as President of Bonners Ferry Rotary, President of the Idaho Chiefs of Police Association, and President of the Montana and Idaho Chapter of FBI National Academy Associates. He is the current Vice President of the Idaho Emergency Managers Association, and Vice Commander of Idaho State Search and Rescue Association, along with being a Board member of the Idaho Law Enforcement Torch Run and the Boundary Search and Dive Rescue Team.

“It has been a blessing to live and work in Boundary County and to be involved with the community," says Mr. Kramer. He has also spent some time in the schools as a substitute teacher and over the years has helped with the Festival of Trees and with Ducks Unlimited.

“I really enjoy the people and the lifestyle of Boundary County, and I would be honored if given the chance to continue to serve in this community as your Sheriff, said Mr. Kramer. "I have a good understanding of the problems and challenges that this community and law enforcement face and I believe that I can bring strong leadership, teamwork, and experience to keep Boundary County a place where people want to live and raise their families.”