“Real time for gun crime,” Law enforcement announces renewed focus to combat drugs and gun crime
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IDAHO FALLS — Local law enforcement agencies announced renewed plans to help get drugs off local streets and guns out of the hands of criminals.
Representatives from various local agencies, including the Bonneville County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Idaho State Police, Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office, the Idaho Falls Police Department, and the United States Attorney for the District of Idaho, came together at a media event on Tuesday to discuss “renewed priorities” on the topics of guns and drugs.
“Fifteen years ago, when I left Bonneville County as a deputy prosecutor and I went down to Salt Lake City as a federal prosecutor, there was a much different landscape for Bonneville County than what I’m seeing now,” Bonneville County Prosecutor Randy Neal said. “One of the most concerning trends I see is the number of guns we are taking off suspects, especially during drug-related arrests. We are in a much different situation as well in our sentencing outcomes. We are just not seeing the kind of sentences like when I was a deputy prosecutor.”
Neal says this is partly because of policies the Idaho legislature has developed on the state level. But, he adds that local and state prosecutors have been working together to combat the lack of official government policy.
“This is really about us all being together as a team, working on reducing firearms that are showing up in the arrests that these officers are coming across,” says Neal. “Especially those on probation or parole, and those that it’s unlawful for them to possess firearms. Also, where we have an indication that we’re looking at some kind of drug dealers.”
According to Neal, Bonneville County is currently experiencing an average of one fentanyl overdose every day.
With this increase in gun and drug crime, Tuesday’s event aimed to highlight multiple government programs, such as the Project Safe Neighborhood Program. Learn more about the program here.
Josh Hurwit, United States Attorney for the District of Idaho, stated the program aims to target repeat and violent offenders who continue to possess guns, those who carry guns while drug trafficking, and while threatening violence, including domestic.
Hurwit detailed many local drug crimes that were recently investigated and ended in convictions, including Simon Martinez, who was found with more than 56 pounds of methamphetamine and approximately 12,000 fentanyl pills.
“In the past five years, from just our Pocatello office, we have prosecuted 51 firearms cases in east Idaho, resulting in convictions of 53 defendants for a combined total of 136 years in federal prison for these violent offenders,” said Hurwit.
Hurwit also detailed a new program called the East Idaho Partnership, which funds a Special Assistant United States Attorney (SAUSA) position in the Pocatello office to focus on gun and drug crimes.
“That program began in 2016, and since then, just in the SAUSA program, we have prosecuted 39 firearm-related offenses that resulted in a total of 150 years in prison for those defendants,” said Hurwit. “The investment of that partnership has saved the state of Idaho approximately 3.5 million dollars in incarceration costs.”
He then explained that when a defendant is sentenced to federal prison, they leave the state of Idaho, relieving the financial burden of housing and caring for an inmate.
For context, the average cost of housing an inmate at the Bannock County Jail is about $85 per day per inmate.
Neal wrapped up the event by emphasizing the specifics of the renewed initiatives, saying that multiple agencies will be working together diligently on federal drug and gun crimes.
“If we get a case in on drug charges, and they have an amount of drugs that falls below that federal threshold, that’s going to be given to one prosecutor, and it will go through our court system,” said Neal. “Not only are we combining resources from various agencies, but the state and federal prosecutors will be working together to make sure that case goes through either system, whoever ends up taking it, with a number of prosecutors involved and more than one agency.”
Local law enforcement agencies will also be holding a town hall on Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. at Thunder Ridge High School to answer questions from the public regarding crime and what law enforcement is doing to keep the community safe.