Eric Bates announces candidacy for Caribou County Sheriff
Former Army Scout and retired Idaho State Police Trooper Eric Bates officially declared his candidacy for the upcoming county Sheriff election in Caribou.
Bates graduated from Meridian High School, and then enlisted in the US Army. He was trained and served as Reconnaissance (recon) Scout as a team leader on a four-man recon team. The Job entailed going behind enemy lines to gather intelligence, as well as search and destroy missions. After leaving the Army the first time, he was recalled back into service for the Iraq war. Bates mentioned that “all three times I served in the US Army it was my honor and privilege to serve
my country.”
After an honorable discharge, Bates attended both College of South Idaho and Boise State University, majoring in Criminal Justice. After college, he moved to Arizona and accepted a job from Motorola as a production manager, managing 35 employees who manufactured cell phone components.
After several years, however, he missed being home in Idaho so he moved back and began working for Idaho Power. He had always had this dream of working in Law Enforcement, which was the nature of his formal education. He applied and tested for the Idaho State Police, where he was hired and assigned to the Burley area, where he spent one year before requesting a transfer to Caribou County as a remote resident Trooper. “I had always been drawn to this area due to my family ties to Bancroft and Chesterfield area,” Bates said. After several years, he was promoted into the commercial Vehicle safety division, before retiring from the State Police.
Bates decided to enter the race for sheriff “After talking with many community members and current staff members, I have become very concerned about our sheriff’s department and the direction it is headed. In conjunction with my observations and talking with many people it is apparent to me that a change is needed that I know that with my education, experience, and training, I can bring. I feel that the issues that need addressed are important enough that I have decided to leave retirement to help bring the needed changes that I know deep down will benefit our county and its citizen’s safety. I don’t need the income from being sheriff, nor do I want any notoriety – I simply want to make Caribou County a safer place to live, and that conviction weighs heavy in my decision to run for sheriff. I want to be a sheriff who is easy to contact and able to be found. I feel that our sheriff should spend most of his time out and about in Caribou County serving and protecting the citizens. This will allow me to be aware of people’s needs and better able to lead my staff as we serve our
county together.”
Asked what he would bring to the position, Bates stated “Integrity, true leadership with the ability to make the tough decisions while using some heart felt compassion. I will be a hands-on working sheriff – no one will need to guess or wonder where the sheriff is on a given day. I will be here, ready to help you any way I can. I live in Caribou County as do my children. I care deeply about our communities, causing me to have a strong desire to partner with area leaders to make our county a safer place to live and raise our families. I also will ensure that the enforcement of the laws is done so equally for everyone.”
Bates cites the “hometown feeling” of Caribou county as one of its major strengths. “It’s a community where the citizens help each other and lookout for other’s needs, whether they live in this community or are just passing through. The remoteness of our community helps protect us from the evils of the world. There are a number of incredible volunteer groups in our county, and I want to work with all the volunteer groups, personally meeting with them often, to learn from them things that can be done to improve service to our county’s citizens,” Bates said.
One of my Bates’ goals, if elected, will be “starting a sheriff’s office reserve program so that those who love to serve their community can join, becoming certified police officers and who can serve our community in their time off. “
Another goal Bates mentioned was starting a youth police explorers’ program for the young men and women who are interested in law enforcement and who may have a desire to work in this field. “I want to offer to the county residents free firearms training courses, so that we as a community can better protect ourselves and our neighbors.”
He would also like to start a program where low-level offender inmates are allowed into the community to help with local service projects. For example: snow removal, highway litter pickup, and sidewalk sweeping. “This would allow the inmates to begin to repay the community for their crimes and start to regain the trust of the community. These inmates would be supervised by law enforcement,” he said.
Asked about priorities, Bates said, “If elected I will work hard ensuring that our sheriff department members are serving our community with complete honesty, integrity and with the highest of ethics. I will ensure that staff members are encouraged, supported and guided in department goals, providing them everyday leadership and direction. While there are many talented and dedicated deputies serving our county, I feel they need someone to point them in the right direction and be there when for them when needed. I am convinced I can be the leader they need to better serve our county. “
Bates also wants to “control the department’s budget using [his] experience to be sure the citizens are getting their dollar’s worth. My attitude is, if it possible I want to find ways for them to get more than their dollars’ worth. “
As a result of his experience with law enforcement, Bates especially wants to reduce DUI and illegal drug prevalence in the county. “I know how awful drug addiction is for those addicted and their families. Making illegal drugs hard to get in Caribou County will be a priority for me. I’ve responded to many drunk driving crashes in my career and seen the carnage left behind. This has given me a strong conviction about DUI enforcement. A drunk driver stopped and arrested may save a family’s life. Make no mistake I will prioritize DUI enforcement and will expect my deputies to work hard to detect and arrest those drinking and driving and anyone trying to sell poisonous illegal drugs in our county,” he said.
He mentioned that he would also like to take on the issue of the high turnover rate in the sheriff’s department, which is an issue he feels needs to
be addressed.
In conclusion, Bates states, “I am a person who has concentrated on always doing the right thing and as such I’ve relied heavily on my faith as I’ve traveled life’s journeys. As a single father I cherish my time spent with my children and love them dearly, enjoying every minute I get to spend with them. Working for a premier law enforcement agency for most of my career I learned what professionalism in law enforcement is really about, helping me understand that there are standards and ethics that have to be met and maintained. I have a strong sense of duty and I am unwavering in my commitment to that duty. My guiding principles are honesty and integrity, principles that I will use, if elected, to serve the citizens of Caribou County to the best of my ability. I feel that no one is above the law including me. If I’m elected and one of my deputies has reason to stop me, that deputy better treat me exactly how they would treat any other citizen.”
