2023 ISA & IJAA Annual Conference Recap

By Chris Goetz, ISA Immediate Past President & Clearwater County Sheriff

The Idaho Sheriffs’ Association (ISA) and the Idaho Jail Administrators Association (IJAA) had a full agenda at their 2023 Annual Conference held in Boise December 11-14. The conference kicked off with a Board of Directors meeting and welcome reception on Monday night and got right into training and presentations on Tuesday morning. Tuesday’s topics included Election Security, Employment Practices Liability, and Transparent Communications During a Crisis. Wednesday provided a full day of training with Imran Ali, Senior Director of Training at the Law Enforcement Training Academy & Consulting (LETAC). Ali presented National Trends in Use of Force along with Human Trafficking to the conference attendees.

Wednesday night featured the Annual Banquet and Installation Ceremony with guest speaker Idaho Attorney General (AG) Raul Labrador. AG Labrador updated members on the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) unit that works in his office. Due to increased staff and assistance from the Sheriffs’ Offices, the unit is no longer backlogged on cases. He has also made a change in the AG’s Office to aid county prosecutors on difficult cases. In the past, the AG’s Office would intervene if they took the lead on these cases. AG Labrador explained that this change will allow county prosecutors to remain the lead on the case while they receive support from the state.

At the end of the banquet, Bear Lake County Sheriff Bart Heslington was sworn in as the new President of the Idaho Sheriffs’ Association. Bonneville County Sheriff Sam Hulse was elected 1st Vice President, Butte County Sheriff Dave Hansen was installed as 2nd Vice President, and Bannock County Sheriff Tony Manu was installed at ISA’s Secretary. Sheriff Heslington will lead the association through the new sheriffs school in December of 2024. This school is 40 hours long and put on by the ISA every four years after the sheriff’s election cycle. It helps both new and returning sheriffs gain valuable training to help them fulfill their responsibilities in their elected position.

The conference wrapped up with a half day on Thursday with presentations on Medical Assisted Treatment for Opioids in the Jail, the National Law Enforcement Foundation, and Concealed Weapons Permits.

ISA would like to thank all the vendors that supported the association and contributed to the event’s success. The association would not be able to host such high-quality conferences without the participation of the dedicated exhibitors, sponsors, and ISA business partners.

To see the full photo album from the conference and download pictures, visit IAC’s Flickr page. 

Save the date for the 2024 ISA and IJAA Spring Conference April 15-17 at the Coeur d’Alene Resort.