Idaho Police Want Better After Weak Sentencing From Idaho Judges

Nampa Police Department frustrations continue to boil over.

In a Facebook post on January 7, 2023, the Nampa Police Department shared a press release announcing that a man charged with attempted rape was sent on "Rider."

According to the press release, a rider is described as "retained jurisdiction, often called a rider, " a sentencing option available to judges in Idaho. Clients sentenced to a rider are incarcerated in an IDOC facility but are under the judge's jurisdiction as they receive treatment and programming. Sentencing judges can place the resident on probation upon successful completion of the rider, or they can relinquish jurisdiction and sentence them to prison based on their behavior and progress during the retained jurisdiction period."

The Canyon County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Virginia Bond argued that the defendant should be sentenced to 13 years fixed, followed by two years of indeterminate detention.

"This lack of accountability is impacting our community."

At the end of the press release Chief Joe Huff shared his thoughts "Once again, even after nearly 30 years of service as a Nampa Police Officer, I am shocked and frustrated at the decision to place this man on a rider. Pina-Melchor's victim and family deserve better."

This isn't the first time that the Nampa Police Department has shared judges' decisions they have been making and shared some examples.

Another Facebook post from January 19, 2023, says, "violent offenders are being arrested in our community weekly for drugs, stolen property, assault, and other violent crimes, only to be released back onto our streets within days. This revolving door is not new, but it must become the focus of a community-wide effort if we want to suppress violent crime in our community. Most of these offenders are already on probation or parole, and the inability to keep them incarcerated has led to repeated violent crimes in our community. Individuals need to be held accountable through the criminal justice system, including those placed on probation or parole. This lack of accountability is impacting our community".

As you can see, they have legitimate concerns about what's happening in our communities.

The Nampa Police Department does its job, but the ones with the gavel will keep sending them back into the community.

The Facebook post of January continues with, "How many gang-related crimes would have been prevented if the person responsible was still in jail, serving their time, instead of back out on the street? The Nampa Police Department will continue to work hard to do our part in the criminal justice system, but we need our law enforcement partners and the community's help if we want to make a real impact on violent crime."