Pinehurst welcomes new police chief

PINEHURST — The Pinehurst Police Department is officially back with newly hired Police Chief Tami Holdahl at its helm.

Though her real first day was Nov. 5, Chief Holdahl was formally sworn in at Wednesday night’s city council meeting at City Hall.

After addressing some initial items on the agenda, mayor Bob Jutlia did the honors as Holdahl raised her right hand and took the oath.

In addition to her brief swearing-in ceremony, the new chief also gave her first police report to the council. In it, she talked about what she had been up to for the past two weeks and how she has been received by the public.

“I’ve been spending a lot of time in there (her office) cleaning while talking calls,” she said. “I’ve gone and met a few people in different places and I was met with a lot of welcome... Good expressions on their faces too, showing that they are glad that I’m here.”

In a interview with the News-Press following the City Council meeting, Holdahl stressed the amount of work she has put into getting the old police station into working order.

“Cleaning this out has been an absolute full-time job, but it’s coming along well,” she said. “I have jokingly said that this end of the building is going to start raising because it’s so much lighter because there is nothing left.”

During this tedious but important process of getting organized, a lot of old equipment and other miscellaneous items were found. Unfortunately for PPD and the city, not much was usable.

“Most of the stuff I got rid of was from 1997 and 2000 and stuff that was obsolete.”

Getting the office situated has been a main priority for Holdahl, as it will creating a welcoming atmosphere for citizens, help her determine what equipment is needed, and facilitate the eventual hiring of a second officer.

“I want the public to be able to come in here. This is their police department.”

It hasn’t been all cleaning and moving for Holdahl though, as she has also made sure to have a presence in the public. On election day, she made sure to stop by the polls and say hi to voters doing their civic duty.

“When I told them that I was their police chief, their faces just lit up.”

The St. Maries resident and native brings with her 20 years of law enforcement experience that include 3 years with the Benewah County Sheriff’s Office, 12 years with Coeur d’Alene Tribal Police and 3 years with Kalispel Tribal Police.

As for how she got here, Holdahl explained that she was contacted some time ago by Pinehurst to see if she was interested.

“I wasn’t looking for a job when I got the phone call,” she said. “They asked ‘would you at least come and interview with us? and come hear what we have to say?’ Well I’d be a fool if I didn’t.”

Following a successful interview, Holdahl accepted the position and was excited to work in a small community like the one she is from.

“I love people and I love to talk. The small town setting for me is great.”

Holdahl is looking forward to forming relationships with residents, but also understands that she has a role to fill.

“I want to get to know the people of Pinehurst. I really believe that there is a lot of good people here and I’ve already met many of them and I’m looking forward to meeting more,” she said. “I also know that I have a job to do. Crime is here and drugs are here and that’s my job.”

During her time with the Kalispel Tribe, Holdahl explained that she worked closely with methamphetamine and heroin cases– giving her experience that could arguably be very useful in a County with high drug crime.

“I have a pretty vast experience with the drug culture,” she said.

Coming into a new job with no one to really hand off the reigns would be difficult in any profession. In Holdahl’s case though, she is coming into a job that hasn’t existed for over a year and experienced severe employment issues in its final days.

Pinehurst Police Department served the city for many years, until the sudden medical retirement of longtime Chief Rocky Wilson in 2016, left the agency and the position empty. Sheriff-elect Mike Gunderson later stepped in to fill the role for a short time after, but eventually relinquished the position to take his place as county sheriff in January 2017.

With no one at the helm of PPD and difficulties popping up in finding a replacement chief, the city decided to enlist the help of the Sheriff’s Office by signing a contract with them in January 2017.

The most recent move to bring PPD back and hire Holdahl as chief essentially began when Sheriff Gunderson delivered a letter to Jutila and the city council on Aug. 21, stating his office’s intent to end their partnership.

So as Holdahl fights through the initial growing pains of coming into a newly resurrected department and position, she asks for understanding during these early days.

“Please be patient with me. I will be out there. I’ve just got things in here that are pressing that I need to do,” she stressed. “But I also say, call me if you need me.”

Although she has a long way to go until she gets the city and people down, Holdahl is happy to be here and thankful for the warm welcome.

“As far as the public goes, I’m still learning. Learning the streets, learning where things are at. There’s a lot of dead end streets,” she joked. “I’m just really thankful for the people of Pinehurst. They have been very receptive and very nice to me.”

To see the story detailing the cancellation of the SCSO/PPD contract, visit www.shoshonenewspress.com and search “SCS cancels Pinehurst Law Enforcement contract.”

Regardless of where you are, if you have an emergency, dial 911.