IDAHO’S POLICE DEPARTMENTS
Idaho’s 79 police departments focus daily on protecting those who reside in our great state and ensuring the safety of those who visit. ICOPA, as an association, promotes collegiality and cooperation among our diverse departments throughout our state. We focus on working together collaboratively for the benefit of Idaho’s citizens, upholding the highest standards of professionalism, providing advanced training opportunities for our chiefs and officers in cutting-edge law enforcement approaches, and building dynamic relationships with industry partners both locally and nationally.
ICOPA is associated with IACP, the International Association of Chiefs of Police. We thus have strong connections with police departments across the United States and even in other countries. These connections provide vital networking when fighting criminal activity that knows no borders.
WORKING TOGETHER FOR IDAHO
Idaho’s police departments are broken down into roughly three designations: urban, rural, and tribal departments. We strive to work together to create unified action and efficient use of resources. These relationships are essential to keep IDAHO safe and on the edge of new technological developments.
The key is the cooperative relationships we forge among our diverse agencies and beyond with other partner agencies such as Idaho State Police, the FBI, and other entities.
URBAN DEPARTMENTS
Our state’s major cities include 50+ officers and serve communities such as Boise, Nampa, Twin Falls, and others. Urban law enforcement fights urban-style crime and issues with specific approaches and technologies. We appreciate the insights urban departments offer to all, leading the way in innovative use of technology, community policing, etc.
RURAL DEPARTMENTS
Our rural departments comprise the majority of departments in our state. Our Chiefs and department personnel do a fantastic job serving sometimes with limited budgets and resources. In many cases, their jurisdictions include vast areas and present specific challenges. Rural policing requires the unique ability to relate to the community and adapt to many cultures and subcultures. Our rural Chiefs are vital to identifying criminal activity that extends out of our urban areas. We all closely communicate.
TRIBAL DEPARTMENTS
Idaho has many tribal reservations. Our partner agencies on reservations have a deep challenge in both policing the reservations as well as managing borders and police matters that may be jurisdictionally murky. ICOPA deeply values our tribal police chiefs and their agencies and appreciates the cooperative relationships we have forged over many years of work together.