Crime in Coeur d’Alene

Crime is down in Coeur d’Alene.

So much so that even Police Chief Lee White isn’t sure it can go much deeper than that.

“Honestly, I’m shocked it’s so low,” he said. “Given our population, it’s likely to be much higher.”

So how low is it?

The number of Part 1 crimes from January to September this year fell by 13% compared to last year. Part 1 offenses include aggravated assault, burglary, robbery and theft. Looking back at 2015, the number of Part 1 crimes in Coeur d’Alene decreased by 63%.

Part 2 crimes, which include alcohol, child abuse, drug, fraud, vandalism and juvenile crime offenses, fell 4.8% from January to September compared to 2024 and 2023. Drink driving has fallen by 29%, from 262 last year to 187 this year.

“We thought two years ago that our crime numbers had probably leveled off because our crime numbers were so low given the continued population growth,” White said after a presentation at the Coeur d’Alene Regional Chambers Upbeat Breakfast. “We didn’t expect it to go down any further.”

Service requests also fell by 9.8% from January to September compared to the same period last year.

When asked if that meant more law-abiding citizens were moving to the area, White said it didn’t.

He said the downtown area has a steady stream of visitors from western Coeur d’Alene in the summer, “and they are extremely problematic.” Thousands come to the area and police “anticipate that a certain number will not behave.”

Instead, White cites the hard work of his team of about 100, smart police work and building community bonds as reasons for the reduction in crime.

He credited the bicycle department for keeping order downtown this summer. Alcohol-related crimes fell 93% from January to September compared to the previous year. He said officers charged people with alcohol-related offenses before they got behind the wheel of a car.

White, who came to Coeur d’Alene 10 years ago as police chief, said there are a few things officers are asked to do that lead to less crime: responding quickly to emergency calls, leaving patrol cars when they have time, relationships to build with the citizens, we look for criminals and put them in prison.

“The results were very successful,” he said.

A two-member opioid task force formed this year has proven successful, as has a task force dedicated to combating internet crimes against children. A group of patrol officers was assigned to focus on registered sex offenders in the area. While this is primarily a job of the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office, White said police are doing what they can. They have made 58 arrests this year.

“In our city, we don’t want them to go unchecked,” he said. “Those sex offenders who fail to update or violate the registry are often the most likely to reoffend.”

White said there were more than 2,000 Part 1 crimes in Coeur d’Alene in 2014 out of a population of about 47,000 residents. This year there will be fewer than 700 despite a population of around 57,000.

Few cities, White said, can boast a drop in crime as more people move in. Thanks to what he called “intelligence-based policing,” Coeur d’Alene can do this.

He said police take a “data-driven approach” to their work, recording calls for service and reports and going to areas where crime is occurring “to hopefully prevent these things and arrest the right people.”

“We deploy officers in real time where crimes are happening,” White said.

White wouldn’t say whether he thinks crime could go down in Coeur d’Alene.

“I don’t want to jinx myself. I’m hopeful,” he said.