Law Enforcement

Our mission is to provide effective law enforcement and support to the community to safeguard not only life and property, but also its unique quality of life. This involves the typical aspects of patrol, investigations, and work with the prosecutor and other local, state, and federal agencies to bring violators to justice. It also involves community involvement that allows us to better identify those issues that are important in our neighborhoods and business districts.

Presently, the Priest River Police Department is comprised of a chief of police, three police officers, a code enforcement officer (responsible for animal control and nuisance abatement), and a clerk. We welcome your comments, good or bad, to help better our service to you.

Drew McLain: Chief of Police

Chief Drew McLain joined the Priest River Police Department in February 2007 and was sworn in as Police Chief in February 2014. He is a graduate of Washington State University and has a wide variety of experience in the criminal justice field. In Washington State, Chief McLain was certified as a corrections officer, working as a corrections officer in Adams and Yakima Counties. He was also certified as reserve law enforcement officer in Washington State and worked as a reserve deputy in Whitman County.
After moving to Idaho, he received his certification as a Juvenile Probation Officer by the Idaho Peace Officers Standards and Training Academy (POST) and became a Juvenile Probation Officer for Bonner County. He presently holds Advanced, Supervisor, and Executive Peace Officer Certifications from the Idaho POST Academy. Chief McLain is a graduate of both the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command and the FBI-ILEEDA Leadership Trilogy. He is certified by POST as a law enforcement training officer and holds instructor certifications in firearms, Taser, reactive impact weapons, speed measurement, and basic field training. Chief McLain has over 2000 hours of law enforcement related training.
Chief McLain has also been active in the community by volunteering at the Priest River Community Foundation’s fund raising event and currently serves as the Vice Chairman on the West Bonner County School Board.

Chris Davis

Sergeant Chris Davis joined the Priest River Police Department in July 2006 as a Police Officer. He came to us with experience having served the City of Wilder Idaho as a reserve police officer and later the City of Spirit Lake as a fully certified police officer. While in Spirit Lake, he was the school resource officer. He was promoted to Sergeant in October 2014. Sergeant Davis holds an intermediate certificate from the Idaho Peace Officer and Standards Academy (POST).
Since coming to the Priest River Police Department, Sergeant Davis has taken on several important responsibilities. He received training and certifications to be our department armorer and breath testing specialist. He and his canine partner, Bella, are a POST certified drug detection canine team.
Sergeant Davis is currently assigned as the School Resource Officer for West Bonner County School District during the school year. While being the SRO, Sergeant Davis has completed Crisis Intervention Team Training, Idaho POST School Resource Officer Basic Training, School Safety Officer Training, and the NRA National School Shield Program. Sergeant Davis has completed over 2000 hours of law enforcement, canine, and SRO related training.

Nicki Yount

Nicki joined the department as our clerk in September 2012. She is a graduate of Idaho State University where she obtained a degree in Secondary Education with an emphasis in Political Science. Nicki, along with her husband Tim and their two children, moved to Priest River in the Spring of 2011. She enjoys living in a small community again, having grown up in a small South Eastern Idaho community of 700 people.
She enjoys all things athletically related and volunteers as a coach for her children’s basketball teams. She has also served as a volunteer in the City of Priest River’s annual “Pick It Up Priest River” spring cleanup event. Nicki currently serves on the Distinguished Young Women Board in Priest River.

Cindy Bulling

Code Enforcement Officer Cindy Bulling joined the police department in February 2012. She has a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Washington University and is a member of the Code Enforcement Professionals of Idaho and the National Animal Control Association.

Officer Bulling’s duties include animal control, including operation of the impound facility, and the enforcement of City of Priest River Municipal Codes dealing with health and sanitation, parking issues, abandoned vehicles, and other such violations – all critical to the maintenance of healthy, safe neighborhoods.

Lane Thompson

Dan Burkey

Officer Dan Burkey joined the Priest River Police Department in July of 2015. He has a Basic Post Certificate and is a graduate of ARIDE (Advanced Roadside Impairment Detection Enforcement). Officer Burkey served in the US Army for over 8 years on active duty with two deployments to Afghanistan. He currently serves in the National Guard.

Officer Burkey enjoys spending time with his family and when time permits hunting and fishing are his hobbies.

Tanner Bodie

Officer Tanner Bodie joined the Priest River Police Department in October 2014. He is a graduate of North Idaho College where he obtained an associate’s degree in Law Enforcement and an associate’s degree in General Studies. He graduated from NIC’s Peace Officer Academy in 2013. He is dedicated to higher education and continues to obtain law enforcement related certificates. Officer Bodie is a graduate of Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) and Advanced Roadside Impairment Detection Enforcement (ARIDE) training.
Officer Bodie has been a resident of North Idaho his entire life. He hopes to keep his community safe while building a strong relationship with its citizens.

Resources

Bonner County Sheriff
Idaho Fish and Game
Idaho POST Academy
Idaho Sex Offender Registry
Idaho State Police
Idaho Statutes
U.S. Forest Service