Police groups cut ties with Idaho domestic violence coalition over justice system criticism
Three Idaho law enforcement groups have cut ties with a statewide coalition against domestic and sexual violence after the coalition signed a letter in support of looking to nonpolice resources when addressing the problems.
The Idaho Sheriffs Association, the Idaho Chiefs of Police Association and the Idaho Prosecuting Attorneys Association all severed their ties with the Idaho Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence, according to its executive director, Kelly Miller. The news was first reported in a larger story in The Washington Post.
Miller said the coalition was one of multiple groups from around the country that signed a letter published by the Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault in July. The letter, titled “Moment of Truth,” calls events in today’s America a “moment of reckoning” and asserts that not enough has been done for survivors of sexual assault and partner violence who are people of color or Indigenous . It calls for fellow coalitions to hold themselves accountable for years of implementing practices that they say have not benefited communities.
One point made is that coalitions have “invested significantly in the criminal legal system, despite knowing that the vast majority of survivors choose not to engage with it and that those who do are often re-traumatized by it.”
“The legacies of slavery and unfulfilled civil rights, colonialism and erasure, hatred and violence, have always been in full view,” the letter reads. “Turning away is no longer an option. Superficial reform is not enough.”
Miller said the coalition signed the letter after it was circulated among state domestic violence coalitions. She said the Idaho group signed on in support of marginalized communities who are not always best served by law enforcement and the judicial system. She said the letter echoed something the group has supported for years: the Black Lives Matter movement.
Since the letter was made public, Miller said the three law enforcement associations have cut ties with the coalition, a move she says will only harm survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence.
The letter also includes calls to provide safe housing for those most vulnerable to abuse, remove police officers from schools and shift funding from law enforcement to community resources.
The last two points didn’t sit well with Grant Loebs, the Twin Falls prosecuting attorney and a member of the board of directors for the Idaho Prosecuting Attorneys Association.
He told the Statesman that the letter struck a chord with some of Idaho’s law enforcement agencies. He said some of the ideas outlined in the letter are not good for Idaho. Loebs said having domestic violence groups working toward “nonpolice” solutions is counterproductive to the interests of justice.
Loebs said that he is fine if the coalition voices its support for the Black Lives Matter movement, but he said implying that the Idaho criminal justice system is unequal and oppressive is “100% against my experience.”
In August, after the letter was published, Bonneville County Prosecuting Attorney Daniel Clark — the IPAA president — sent a letter to the Idaho coalition condemning the notions outlined in the Wisconsin letter.
The IPAA letter, provided to the Statesman, said the Idaho Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence endorses “radical positions” detailed in the letter. Clark wrote that the IPAA board and its membership “found this post and its contents offensive to the ideals instilled in all prosecutors of this great state – to do justice.”
Clark ended the letter telling the coalition not to use IPAA on its website or in any publications.
“Your organization has chosen to shift from its proper role of serving and protecting domestic and sexual violence crime victims to appeasing a political movement,” Clark wrote. “We will not join you in this endeavor.”
When reached by phone, the Idaho Sheriffs Association declined to comment on the decision to cut ties with a coalition that helps victims of sexual and domestic violence. Phone messages left with the Idaho Chiefs of Police Association were not returned.
Miller said she was deeply disappointed upon hearing from the three groups, saying the ones most damaged by the move are the survivors of domestic violence.
Going forward, the three groups will not participate in efforts such as the Idaho Coordinated Response to Domestic & Sexual Violence, which helps organize how to fight these problems in the state.
Miller said it makes things easier when everyone is at the same table working together, which she says won’t be the case now.
“It’s disheartening,” Miller said. “Having three critical partners step away is a loss for our state.”
