SHOSHONE COUNTY, Idaho — Police chiefs from three Shoshone County cities have sent a letter to county commissioners declaring they have no confidence in Sheriff William Eddy, citing his handling of last month’s shooting in the sheriff’s office lobby and other concerns about his leadership.
The police chiefs from Kellogg, Osburn and Pinehurst expressed their lack of confidence in Sheriff Eddy, who has been in office for two months. Part of their reasoning centers on how he handled an active shooter incident that occurred on December 26.
It has been a turbulent three months at the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office. In that time, two different people have served as sheriff, four administrators resigned, a public safety levy failed forcing budget cuts, and the day after Christmas, a man opened fire inside the lobby of the office.
During the December 26 shooting, two women and a deputy were hit but only sustained minor injuries. The police chiefs claim Sheriff Eddy was unable to take on the role of incident command during the shooting. They also alleged that following the event, Sheriff Eddy left, leaving other officers to clean up, and that he did not come to work the next day.
The chiefs say the issues stem from a lack of communication between the sheriff’s office and their agencies. In their letter to county commissioners, they stated: “We find Sheriff Eddy’s lack of any qualifications for the administrative task of sheriff as alarming and frankly dangerous to both other law enforcement officers and the public at large.”
When contacted, Sheriff Eddy would not do an interview but told reporters “this is what happens when you break up the good ol’ boys.” He also noted that since he has been in office, only two people have resigned.
The three county commissioners, who appointed Eddy two months ago, did not want to comment. They said the sheriff’s office is not under their authority, except when it comes to budgeting.
The police chiefs did not ask for anything in particular in their letter, but expressed they do not have confidence in Sheriff Eddy. The situation represents ongoing challenges for law enforcement coordination in Shoshone County as the sheriff’s office continues to face scrutiny from municipal police departments.
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