Anderson joins city police department

BONNERS FERRY — Dale Anderson spent 27 years in law enforcement before moving with his family to Bonners Ferry last August with intent of retiring.

That didn’t happen.

Anderson found himself back in uniform once again, this time as the new School Resource Officer (SRO) for the Bonners Ferry Police Department.

“We are very blessed to have an experienced officer that we can plug into the school system here,” said Bonners Ferry Police Chief Brian Zimmerman. “Dale brings a lot to the table.”

Anderson began his career in law enforcement at the Utah Department of Corrections.

“I worked for the prison for a very short amount of time. It just wasn’t what I expected,” said Anderson. “I went to work for the Sheriff’s Office as a jail officer seven months later. It was a really fun job and I learned a lot.”

From there, Anderson moved on to the West Jordan Police Department for about three to three and a half years, then spent about nine months with the South Salt Lake Police Department, before moving to Las Vegas.

“I went to work for Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department in July of 1999, and I was there for just over 20 years,” said Anderson.

Anderson’s early career encompassed many different roles, from patrol, to training, to K-9, but once he started in Las Vegas, he moved quickly into investigation.

“I got into the investigative spot relatively quickly because I work hard,” said Anderson. “I’m not lazy when I go to work.”

Anderson worked in firearms investigations for eight years and worked undercover for seven years.

“Most of my career in Las Vegas was going after really, really bad guys. I worked in the Repeat Offender Program (ROP) for a couple years,” said Anderson. “Everyone that you would investigate is a minimum of three-time convicted violent felon, so every case you do you are making a difference.”

“You’re really putting bad guys away for a long time,” he continued. “And these are truly Las Vegas’ worst folks.”

Anderson said that he had the opportunity to do amazing things during his career. He bought dynamite, grenades, cars, drugs, and lots of guns.

“I’ve sold guns to bad guys — of course we arrested them immediately, but I’ve always been in those kind of high-speed, quiet units until I went to the academy,” said Anderson. “I’ll be honest, that was the best job I’ve ever had. Being a detective was fun.”

The last three and a half years of Anderson’s career was spent teaching at the academy.

“I have this need and desire to give back — not the department necessarily because I gave them everything — but when you learn stuff the hard way on your own it sure is nice to have someone who can teach you these things,” Anderson said about teaching.

And that is what brought him to the point of wearing a uniform again so quickly after retiring.

“I wanted my family out of Las Vegas because it is not what people think it is — it just really isn’t,” said Anderson. “I wanted my wife and my son to experience ‘small town.’ We stumbled on Bonners by accident, in all reality. I love this little town and the people are awesome.”

Anderson spent a lot of time growing up in a small town in north central Wyoming, and has a natural attraction to the mountains.

He fell in love with the mountains in north Idaho, especially Boundary County, and spends much time outdoors, fishing, hunting, and recently trapping — although he points out that he and his son are just “setters” right now, rather than trappers, having yet to trap anything.

Anderson is impressed with how welcoming the community is, despite the fact that he and his family are not from here.

“I’ve never had anyone be rude or nasty,” said Anderson. “Everyone has been awesome and nice, and it’s everything I expected from a small town.”

When not busy hunting, trapping, fishing, or working on other projects, Anderson enjoys sitting with a cup of coffee on his porch and enjoying the beauty of Boundary County.

“There’s elk in my pasture. I’m a hunter, but when it is not hunting season, I’ll sit and stare at an elk all day long,” said Anderson. “I just love everything about it.”

Now that Anderson was happily retired, doing the things that he wanted to, he found a little extra time on his hands and he approached Boundary County Sheriff Dave Kramer.

“I went to the Sheriff, and I went to him for one reason — because of some of the law enforcement stuff that I teach. I know that a lot of small towns don’t historically get a lot of quality continued education for law enforcement and they don’t get extra,” said Anderson. “I went to the Sheriff and offered to teach some certain things that I teach nationwide at times.”

Kramer had a position open and offered Anderson a job, which he declined. He was retired. Then he received a voicemail from Bonners Ferry Police Chief Brian Zimmerman.

Anderson agreed to meet with Zimmerman to offer the classes, with no intention of leaving the retirement that he had worked so hard to achieve.

“I really wasn’t planning on coming back. Then I learned how shorthanded they were and how young the department was,” said Anderson.

“He has got a silver tongue apparently,” said Anderson about Zimmerman. “Because I’m sitting here talking to you, and I’m in a uniform. He and the assistant chief did a pretty good job of selling it to me, and I know they needed some help.”

For all of Anderson’s experience, being an SRO is a new adventure.

“This is a new challenge. I like to be challenged at work — you learn,” said Anderson. “It is nice to do something different.”

Anderson’s plan for the SRO position is to spend any down time, or time working on reports, in one of the schools. At the Bonners Ferry High School, he has access to his reports, so it will help him be seen as approachable.

“I’m not there to be their friend. I’m just there to make sure that the place is safe, but I can absolutely be friendly all day long,” said Anderson. “If the kids are afraid of me they’re not going to talk to me.”

Anderson says that he doesn’t have the advantage of the previous SRO, who knew so many of the students, but he has a friendly, talkative, and outgoing nature.

I am truthful sometimes to a fault if you ask me a question I will tell you,” said Anderson. “I want the kids to understand that I’m not going to put up with silliness. I’m not going to put up with fighting. If you want to fight I will arrest both of you, but I’d like to avoid those things if we can. I think the key to avoiding those types of things is having your SRO approachable and available.”

And so Anderson finds himself in uniform once again, and his love of the community and the area are apparent, as he takes up the role as the new SRO of the Bonners Ferry Police Department and begins a new adventure.