Vern Bisterfeldt, remembered as a Boise ‘community legend,’ is dead at 83
Vern Bisterfeldt, a former Boise City Council member, Ada County commissioner and longtime Boise police officer, has died, according to the Boise City Council.
Bisterfeldt died Friday at his home, according to the Boise Police Department. He was 83.
Bisterfeldt first became an Ada County commissioner in 1987 and held the position until 1999. In 2001, he was elected to the City Council in Boise, serving until he stepped down to rejoin the commission in 2011.
In 1959, Bisterfeldt joined the Police Department. He was promoted to sergeant in 1967 and later to captain, according to a Saturday social media post by the department.
The Police Department’s post called Bisterfeldt a “community legend.”
Bisterfeldt served in the Patrol and Criminal Investigation divisions, and he led the Patrol Division from 1979 until 1987, when he retired.
In 1985, Bisterfeldt was awarded the department’s Medal of Honor. The Ada County Sheriff’s Office main building is named after him, which the current Board of Commissioners said is an indication of his importance to the region.
“He was a kind and gregarious man who believed in this community and the people he served,” the commissioners said in a written statement.
Maryanne Jordan, a retired Democratic state senator and former president of the Boise City Council, said she first got to know Bisterfeldt when he “cleaned my clock” in a 2001 council election.
“He was tough, he was kind, he was fair, and he was a fabulous public servant,” Jordan told the Idaho Statesman. “I think people might have perceived him as gruff, but he was a pretty soft-hearted guy. You always knew where you stood (with him).”
Mike Masterson, a former police chief in Boise, told the Statesman he first met Bisterfeldt in 2004, when Masterson was an external candidate to become the city’s next chief. Masterson said he met Bisterfeldt in an executive session meeting.
“He said, ‘I won’t be voting for you, but don’t stop listening to me until my lips stop moving,’” Masterson said. “He was quite a character even back then.”
Masterson said they were friends for the next 17 years.
When Bisterfeldt left the council in 2010 to join the commission, Lauren McLean was appointed by then-Mayor Dave Bieter to replace him. McLean was elected mayor in 2019, beating Bieter.
In a statement, Council President Elaine Clegg said Bisterfeldt had “extraordinary character.”
Information about Bisterfeldt’s funeral will be forthcoming from the Police Department. Bisterfeldt is survived by his wife, Shirley Bisterfeldt, and other family.
This story was originally published February 5, 2022 at 4:00 PM.
