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BFPD Chief Boone retires, new Chief Watson
appointed |
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April 29, 2015 |
by Mike Weland
When Robert Boone came to Bonners Ferry he came
to retire after a 30-plus year career in law
enforcement in San Bernardino County,
California. He didn't come to launch a new
career, something he made clear to the Bonners
Ferry City Council when he was appointed Chief
of Police March 4, 2014.
"I read about the strife in the police
department and felt I could help," he said.
"I feel the Lord led me to it."
On April 24, he handed the reins to a
reinvigorated Bonners Ferry Police Department to
a third-generation Idahoan with a 21-year
background with the Minidoka County Sheriff's
Office, a good many of them as chief deputy.
While he's a south Idahoan by birth, new Bonners
Ferry Police Chief Vic Watson had long yearned
to be
able to live in and enjoy the beauty of North
Idaho. The year since he jumped at the
opportunity to come north to accept a position
as lieutenant with the BFPD, he said, has been
everything he hoped for and more.
"I've adopted this place, and this place has
adopted me," he said. "Every day, I'm
appreciative to live and work here."
"When he arrived, I was impressed from the
outset," Boone said. "He immediately went to
work winning the respect of law enforcement
throughout the county, and he led from the
front."
When Boone took over the helm 14 months ago, the
Bonners Ferry Police Department was reeling with
personnel issues and lawsuits. Officers carried
an assortment of side arms, not all in good
repair, and drove an assortment of mismatched
patrol rigs that looked, he said, as if they
came off whichever used car lot could offer them
the cheapest.
He knew, he said, that he faced a formidable
task, but from the outset he always kept in mind
that the grandkids he planned to dote on in his
retirement weren’t going to step down or stop
growing while he restored order to his
department. While it sounds simple, his main
goal when he began, he said, was to focus on
training and building every officer in the
department to be a leader capable of filling his
shoes.
He has, he said while contentedly feeding one of
his youngest grandchildren, accomplished all he
set out to do.
Every Bonners Ferry Police officer is now
equipped with a Glock Gen 4 .45 ACP sidearm, all
acquired without cost to the taxpayer. Each now
wears a body camera at all times while on duty,
both to protect the officer and the citizens
they serve.
Each patrol vehicle, now purchased through the
same bidding process used by the Idaho State
Police, now has a matching color scheme and
equipment package, and each unit is clearly
numbered so that if a citizen has an issue with
an officer’s performance, that officer can be
more easily identified. He accounted for and
upgraded the department inventory, set in place
a program of officer training and evaluation.
“Officer training doesn’t end with the academy,”
he said, “it begins there. When you need a
police officer in an emergency, we want to send
you a well-trained and equipped professional.”
He used the department website to keep the
public informed, and launched a BFPD Facebook
page,
https://www.facebook.com/BonnersFerryPoliceDepartment,
to better stay in touch and connected with those
they serve. He forged closer ties with the
Boundary County Sheriff’s Office, Border Patrol
and Idaho Fish and Game, and rekindled an
Explorer program, his own introduction to a
rewarding career so many
years ago, to give local students with an
interest in law enforcement the means to live
their dreams.
And having worked side-by-side since the day he
arrived, Watson said he’s pleased with where the
department he now leads is, and has no other
plans than to keep building on the solid
foundation he helped lay.
“I don’t think we need to reinvent the wheel,”
he said. “The department is structurally well
set up and we have a good relation with the city
council. I trust my officers, and we work well
together, and I will continue to see that they
are well trained and always respectful of the
rights of the people they serve.
And while he’s now able to enjoy his retirement
and grandkids, Boone will continue contributing,
both to his department and his community. He and
his wife are both active at Mountain Springs
Church, where Bob is an associate pastor, and he
now serves as chaplain to the Boundary County
law enforcement community. He remains active
with the Explorer Post as senior advisor, and
still takes great pride in and helps peace
officers and aspiring peace officers develop to
their full potential.
One of his final acts as police chief before he
handed over the department was to hand the
city’s newest police officer, Travis Stolley,
his academy diploma. And that, he said, is a
fine way to end a long and fulfilling career.
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