Police neighborhood meeting sees massive turnout to talk rise in violent crime
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IDAHO FALLS – Residents of an Idaho Falls neighborhood who have experienced a steep increase in violent crime recently voiced their concerns Tuesday during a community meeting.
The meeting was organized and hosted by the Idaho Falls Police Department at Emerson High School. There was a massive turnout at the meeting to discuss the rise in crime between 2nd Street and 7th Street and South Boulevard to Holmes Avenue.
According to Idaho Falls Police Chief Bryce Johnson, the neighborhood has seen a 24% increase in violent crime since 2023.
To compare, the entire city of Idaho Falls has seen a 13% increase in violent crime in 2024.
“(Officers) spend a tremendous amount of time in this small geographic area doing active police work,” says Johnson. “We also get a lot of calls for service here.”
In 2022, the number of police responses to the area was 886. In 2023, that increased to 1,085 calls. These numbers do not include calls for snow removal, parking violations, etc.
So far in 2024, police have responded to 203 calls in the area, which is an increase from 2023. Over half of these were calls from officers already patrolling the area.
Recently, there was a homicide on 4th Street and an officer-involved shooting in the area of 4th Street and South Lee Avenue.
“There is a lot of police activity in the area,” says Johnson. “This year, January and February have been very, very, very hard months all over Idaho Falls.”
One of the most significant topics of discussion was the 4th Street homicide, which police confirmed was a case of “mistaken identity” after residents voiced concerns about random acts of violence.
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Eric Charles Leask, 51, was allegedly shot and killed in his home by 23-year-old Lance Broncho. Broncho reportedly broke into the house in search of drugs, thinking the house was occupied by someone else.
“That case was not just random, it was a case of mistaken identity. The suspect, we believe, was targeting a specific house, believing they could steal something from that specific house. They just got the wrong house,” said Johnson. “The family that was there, they were just completely innocent and they’re a good family.”
According to IFPD Captain Brian Trimble, the burglary was allegedly intended to be drug-related.
“Once he did what he did and broke into the house, he was in it to win it at that point in time I guess,” said Trimble. “He just continued.”
Residents say they are concerned that more violent crimes will continue to happen, asking officers if the people who are often arrested in the area are from Idaho Falls, or if they are from other places.
“They are from Idaho Falls,” said Trimble.
One resident asked police to describe the “demographics” of people who are arrested in the neighborhood.
Johnson responded that nearly 84% of all arrests in the city are white males.
Residents also seemed concerned about illegal drugs in the neighborhood, asking police why they hadn’t “raided” suspected drug-possessing homes.
“We would love to be able to just go do that, but there’s rules about it,” says Johnson. “We’re actively working cases to try to be able to do things like that, but you have to establish probable cause, you have to get a warrant, there are specific rules you have to go through.”
Trimble also confirmed “several active investigations” regarding drug offenses are at various stages in the area.
“I promise you (officers) are doing their job, it’s just that sometimes it can be slow, it can be difficult, you can hit some hiccups or obstacles that might create circumstances that don’t amount to probable cause,” said Trimble. “A lot of these particular locations have been ‘targets’ if you want to call it that, for several years.”
When asked what the public can do to support law enforcement in driving down crime, Johnson says knowing your neighbors, checking your Ring doorbells, and watching for “short-stay traffic” is essential.
“Short stay traffic, getting license plates, there’s a lot of ways you can get that to the police department,” says Johnson. “There’s a direct tip line to our narcotic officers.”
Another big issue facing law enforcement is the need for more officers on staff. According to Johnson, IFPD currently has the same number of officers as in 1999, plus ten currently in training.
“We have a high 80s number of police officers responding to calls right now,” says Johnson. “To put that in context, it’s 2024. That’s about the same number they had in 1999 to respond.”
Johnson also announced a new initiative called the Neighborhood Police Officer Program, which is expected to begin in late April. The program will place police officers in specific high crime areas around the city to patrol the areas for signs of crime.
“(The program) would be both in our downtown area which has a high concentration of bars in one area where we’ve seen an uptick in activity there,” says Johnson. “Then this general area here (2nd to 7th street) we will have two officers that focus on this area.”