By Attorney General Raúl Labrador
Dear Friends,
This past week I traveled to North Idaho to meet with local leaders, law enforcement officials, and community members in Grangeville, Orofino, Lewiston, Moscow, and Sandpoint. Local leaders understand their communities’ challenges and strengths better than anyone, so these face-to-face conversations are essential for knowing how we can better collaborate to protect Idaho families in every county across our state.
I started in Grangeville where I met with Idaho County Commissioners Skip Brandt, Ted Lindsley, and Brad Higgins, along with Clearwater County Commissioners Ken Harvey and Mitch Reggear, and State Representative Charlie Shepard. We discussed shared priorities about preserving local control over land use decisions, improving wildfire response coordination, and addressing outdoor recreation and conservation concerns affecting their communities.
I then traveled up the road to Orofino, where I met with Clearwater County Sheriff Chris Goetz, Chief of Police and County Commissioner Vince Frazier, and Prosecutor Clayne Tyler. Our discussion focused on current public safety challenges facing rural communities and how the Attorney General’s office can provide additional support to local law enforcement and county prosecutors.
Local law enforcement officers are the backbone of community safety, and it’s essential that we support their critical work however we can. These partnerships help us better protect families throughout Idaho, especially in rural communities where resources can be stretched thin.
The following day in Lewiston, State Senator Cindy Carlson and I toured the Idaho Northwest Children’s Home, learning about their trauma-informed care approach for vulnerable children and families, and visited Happy Day Restaurants Distribution facility, where owner Tobe Finch is developing local food supply chains focused on strengthening Idaho’s food independence. Following those tours, we met with community leaders including Police Chief David St. Pierre, Nez Perce Sheriff Bryce Scrimsher, Idaho State Police Captain Mike Mooney, Lewiston Mayor Dan Johnson, and City Attorney Jennifer Tengono.
After that productive meeting, my team and I headed to Moscow where we sat down with Police Chief Anthony Dahlinger and Latah County Sheriff Richard Skiles to discuss collaborative efforts and local safety priorities. I had the opportunity to hear about their current areas of focus and the long-term public safety needs. After wrapping up, my team visited the University of Idaho and toured their law school and part of the campus, which is welcoming back students for the 2025 school year.
The next morning was spent in Bonner County meeting with State Representative Cornel Rasor, whose Army Surplus store was tragically destroyed by an arsonist last year in a politically motivated attack. Representative Rasor is a fighter though and is rebuilding stronger than ever. While at his store I had the opportunity to speak with folks from the community.
Throughout these meetings, I updated local leaders on just some of my office’s recent accomplishments. How we’ve completely transformed the Internet Crimes Against Children Unit, eliminating a 1,300-case backlog and achieving 24-hour response times to new tips. We’ve expanded our network of paid affiliate investigators across Idaho to strengthen local capacity for child protection cases. Along with our work assisting county prosecutors with legal cases, and recent court victories, like keeping boys out of female bathrooms in public schools.
Government works best when it’s closest to the people, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to meet with local leaders across our state to better understand their communities’ needs and priorities. Every partnership we build strengthens our mission to protect families and put Idaho first.
Best regards,
About Raúl Labrador
Raúl Labrador is the 33rd Attorney General of Idaho. The Office of the Attorney General provides legal representation for the State of Idaho. This representation is furnished to state agencies, offices and boards in the furtherance of the state's legal interests. The office is part of state government’s executive branch and its duties are laid out in the Idaho Constitution.
