(BOISE, Idaho) -- Boise Police are asking residents to weigh in on how they feel the police department is performing.
The department announced that beginning Wednesday letters will be sent out to about 150 people who recently had an encounter with the police. Those residents will be asked to complete a confidential survey on their interaction with the police.
Officials said feedback from the survey will be used to monitor service and improve department procedures and training.
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Boise Police Conducts Survey on Performance
Boise Woman Arrested for Meth Possession During Traffic Stop
(BOISE, Idaho) -- A Boise woman was arrested late Tuesday night after she was found with methamphetamine in her possession during a traffic stop.
According to the Boise Police Department, an officer spotted a vehicle without a front license plate at about 11:20 p.m. on Tuesday. A Boise police officer pulled the driver over, at which point the driver and passenger began to walk away. The officer ordered both back into the car, and a K9 unit alerted to the vehicle.
Melanie Baugh, 37, was found in possession of methamphetamine and a pipe.
Baugh was booked at Ada County Jail on charges of possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. The driver was given a citation for no proof of insurance.
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Suspect in Boise Robbery Held in Seattle
(BOISE, Idaho) -- Police have made an arrest in connection with a robbery that occurred at an electronics store in Boise last Friday.
Patrick Lawrence Duignan, a transient out of Nevada, was arrested in Seattle, Wash. on Tuesday.
Boise Police said a felony warrant for robbery was issued for Duignan, 45, shortly after the robbery. Police in Seattle then arrested Duignan on Tuesday in an unrelated matter, and learned that he had a warrant out for his arrest.
Duignan is awaiting extradition from Washington State to Boise.
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Boise Man Arrested After Battering Woman, Ramming Her Car
(BOISE, Idaho) -- Poice arrested a Boise man on Thursday on battery charges after he attacked a woman, rammed her vehicle with his own and attempted to flee from police.
Police responded to a call saying that Brian Dufty, 36, had battered a 60-year-old woman. When officers arrived at the Willowdale Drive home, they found Dufty ramming the woman's car, said KIVI, ABC's Boise affiliate.
To prevent Dufty from fleeing the scene, one officer stopped his car in front of Dufty's, but Dufty rammed that car as well.
Police told KIVI that Dufty was non-compliant and that they had to use a Taser and pepper spray to apprehend him.
Neither Dufty nor the officers were injured in the incident. The incident is under further investigation.
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Ada Co. Sheriff's Office Searching for New Company to Manage Emergency Alerts
(BOISE, Idaho) -- The Ada County Sheriff's Office is looking to find a new company to handle their emergency alert system after My State USA has encountered issues that prevented multiple alerts from being sent.
According to the Idaho Statesman, two of the three alerts that the ACSO attempted to send this year failed. The first, a January message about a missing teen, was sent to certain landlines, but the call contained no message. A February alert about a mountain lion on the loose in Garden City wasn't sent in time because of "technical difficulties," the Statesman says.
The county has contracted My State USA for emergency alerts since 2012.
Once a new company is selected, the Statesman says that the county plans to terminate the contract with My State USA.
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Two Caught with Meth, Marijuana During Police Search
(BOISE, Idaho) -- Two are in custody after they were caught with marijuana and methamphetamine in their home.
According to the Boise Police Department, when officers tried to serve a search warrant regarding reports of property damage, 35-year-old Amy Bond pushed past the officers and tried to keep them from searching the home.
Police say they found meth, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia in the house.
Bond, 35, was arrested and charged with resisting and obstructing officers as well as possession of meth, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia.
Another resident, Andrew Cenarrusa, 37, was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
Police say the property damage investigation is ongoing.
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ICAC Arrested Boise Man, 31, in Child Porn Investigation
(BOISE, Idaho) -- Detectives from the Idaho Crimes Against Children task force arrested a 31-year-old Boise man on Thursday as the result of a weeks-long child pornography investigation.
According to the Boise Police Department, a search warrant was served at James Bigler's home earlier this month. After thorough investigation, detectives found a number of illegal files on Bigler's computers.
Bigler is charged with possession of sexually exploitive material, a felony.
The investigation in the case is ongoing.
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Unemployment Rate Drops Again, Lowest Figure in Five Years
(BOISE, Idaho) -- The seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate in Idaho dropped to 5.3 percent in February, the lowest figure in over five years.
According to the Idaho Department of Labor, the 5.3 percent figure is down just 0.1 percent from January, the same percentage decrease in the labor force participation rate. Nationally, the unemployment rate saw a slim increase, to 6.7 percent.
For the sixth consecutive month, the total employment numbers climbed in Idaho, up to 735,500, 1,100 higher than January and up 31,900 from February 2013.
The IDL also reported that the number of workers receiving weekly unemployment benefits stayed at the lowest rate in more than 15 years.
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Police: Boise Man Caught with Meth in Weekend Traffic Stop
(BOISE, Idaho) -- A Boise man was arrested on Sunday after allegedly being caught with methamphetamine during a traffic stop.
Trevor Petersen, 29, has been charged with felony possession of a controlled substance.
Boise Police said on Sunday morning officers conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle in the area of South Division Avenue and West Hale Street, for alleged erratic driving. That's when Petersen was allegedly found with two grams of methamphetamine.
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Police: 'No Danger to Public' After Body Found in Parking Lot
(BOISE, Idaho) -- Boise police say that the public is not in danger after a body was discovered in the parking lot of an apartment complex over the weekend.
On Saturday evening, the body of a man was discovered in the West Halstead Lane parking lot.
The victim, a man in his 50s, has not been identified, but was discovered "a short distance" away from a car with a bloody interior, the Boise Police Department said.
An autopsy was conducted on Monday morning, though details of the case remain under further investigation
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Three Arrested After Sunday Afternoon Fight
(BOISE, Idaho) -- Boise police arrested a woman on Sunday afternoon after she obstructed police from breaking up a fight between two men.
At about 4:47 p.m., a Boise Police Department officer attempted to break up a physical dispute between two men when Gwynn Boyd, 34, stepped between the officer and the men, cursed at the officer and prevented him from resolving the fight. After being told to leave the area, Boyd refused and was placed under arrest.
Once in handcuffs, Boyd struggled and kicked an officer. She was charged with battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting and obstructing.
The two men who were fighting were also arrested. One was charged with fighting while the other was charged with fighting and resisting and obstructing.
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Boise State Names New Dean of College of Education
(BOISE, Idaho) -- Boise State University has announced Richard Osguthorpe as the next dean of the College of Education.
Osguthorpe's appointment comes after the university conducted a national search for a suitable candidate.
According to the school's website, Osguthorpe has been at Boise State for about a decade, and has served as chair of the Department of Curriculum, Instruction and Foundational Studies since 2012.
He's scheduled to take up his new role on May 26.
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Boise Woman Cited in Crash with Motorcycle
(BOISE, Idaho) -- A motorcyclist was in the hospital on Monday after suffering serious injuries in a collision with an SUV.
The Idaho Statesman reports that the collision occurred just after 11 a.m. near 15th Street and River Street.
The driver of the SUV reportedly did not stop for a red light, knocking the motorcyclist into the air and dragging the motorcycle an undetermined distance.
The motorcyclist was wearing a helmet at the time, and his injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
Witnesses said that the female driver of the SUV was on her cell phone at the time of the crash. She was cited for inattentive driving, according to the Statesman.
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Boise Mayor Voices Support for Bike Lane Implementation
(BOISE, Idaho) -- Boise Mayor David Bieter voiced support for the implementation of bike lanes in downtown Boise on Tuesday.
An amended proposal would add buffered bike lanes on Main Street and Idaho Street and would convert 5th and 6th streets from one-way streets to two-way streets. "By adding buffered bike lanes on these highly visible streets, we will make it safer and easier to ride a bike downtown," Mayor David Bieter said.
The original proposal called for bike lanes to be implemented on a number of other streets, with additional streets being converted to two-way streets.
The proposal is currently under public comment, which Bieter urged residents to take advantage of at ACHDIdaho.org. Following the public comment period, the proposal will go before the Ada County Highway District.
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Police: Shoplifter Gets Violent After Being Caught in the Act
(BOISE, Idaho) -- A Boise man, who allegedly became violent after being caught in the act shoplifting, was arrested by police on Monday morning.
Boise Police said they were called to a store in the area of West University Drive and South Lincoln Avenue, where witnesses told officers that they observed a man hiding away merchandise in his backpack. When one witness confronted the suspect, the witness was allegedly pushed twice by the man, as he tried to flee the scene.
Police arrested 21-year-old Pierre Thomas, charging him with burglary and battery.
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Boise Woman Arrested on Child Abuse Charges
(BOISE, Idaho) -- A Boise woman was arrested on Tuesday and charged with child abuse after officers conducting a search found narcotics and "deplorable conditions."
The Boise Police Department says that officers conducted the search to "check for narcotics violations" on Tuesday night on an anonymous tip. Gia Rose, 34, let officers inside, where they found marijuana and methamphetamine smoking devices, syringes, prescription drugs and other drug paraphernalia. All of the substances were reportedly located in areas that were used by the six children in the home.
Officers also spotted open electrical outlets, a lack of working smoke detectors, a non-working refrigerator containing perishable food and feces in the living area.
All five children who live in the home were taken into Department of Health and Welfare custody. The sixth child, a visitor, was released to the custody of a parent.
Rose faces five counts of injury to child, possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of prescription drugs in something other than their original container.
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State Police Investigating Four-Vehicle Crash
(BOISE, Idaho) -- Idaho State Police are investigating after a four-vehicle crash on Interstate 84 sent one man to a nearby hospital.
The accident occurred at about 1 p.m. on Tuesday after Daryl Anderson, 66, attempted to stop his semi trailer when traffic slowed down. He was unable to avoid the car in front of him, driven by Beverly Emmert, 54, pushing it into a second vehicle. A headlight from Anderson's truck came off and struck another vehicle, Idaho State Police say.
Emmert was taken to St. Alphonsus Hospital in Nampa. All four drivers were wearing seat belts at the time of the crash.
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Idaho Sees Slight Population Growth
(WASHINGTON) -- Idaho's population grew slightly from 2012 to 2013, according to figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday.
A report by the Bureau stated that as of July 1, 2013 there was an estimated 1,612,136 people in Idaho, an increase of just over 16,500 people compared to a year earlier.
The U.S. population also grew over the year, going from 313.9 million people in 2012 to 316.1 million in 2013.
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Police Investigating Coffee Shack Robbery
(BOISE, Idaho) -- Police are investigating a robbery in a Linden coffee shop on Thursday.
According to the Boise Police Department, a man approached the order window at The Coffee Shack on Broadway Avenue and demanded cash from the employee. The suspect did not display a weapon, but the clerk gave him an undisclosed amount of cash.
Police described the suspect as a light-skinned man, about 6-feet-1 to 6-feet-2 inches tall with a thin build. He was last seen wearing a black canvas coat, a white bandana over his face, a blue stocking cap and white gloves.
Detectives could not immediately say whether the robbery was related to other recent cases. The incident is under further investigation.
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Nampa Man Killed in Thursday Morning Traffic Accident
(BOISE, Idaho) -- A Nampa man who was riding his motorcycle on Thursday morning was killed in a collision with another vehicle, state police say.
Just after 7 a.m., the motorcycle operated by Chad Draggett, 31, was involved in a collision with a Ford Escort. The Escort was reportedly turning when Draggett's motorcycle crashed into it in the middle of the intersection of Robinson Road and Willow Avenue.
Draggett was taken to St. Alphonsus Hospital in Nampa, where he was later pronounced dead.
Draggett was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, Idaho State Police confirmed.
The collision is under further investigation.
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