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Coeur d'Alene police outline new opioid task force, warn fentanyl is reshaping local drug scene
Summary
Sergeant Eric Boardman told the City Council that fentanyl and polysubstance use have transformed overdoses in the region and described the new task force’s duties: overdose response, community training and investigations.
Sergeant Eric Boardman of the Coeur d'Alene Police Department told the City Council on Feb. 4 that the city’s new opioid task force will focus on overdose response, community and first-responder training, partnerships with health providers and investigations into illicit opioid trafficking.
Boardman gave a 25-minute presentation during a council meeting after Chief White introduced the program, which the council funded last year using opioid settlement dollars. “The landscape of narcotics and illicit drug use has changed significantly in the last 10 years,” Sergeant Eric Boardman said, adding that fentanyl and polysubstance use now dominate local cases.
Boardman summarized the unit’s work: responding to overdoses and offering assistance to survivors; training first responders, school staff and community groups; coordinating with nonprofit behavioral-health providers and Kootenai Health; and investigating distribution networks. He described how fentanyl pills and powders have become delivery methods that are “tasteless and odorless” and said two-milligram doses can be lethal. He noted emerging adulterants such as xylazine, a veterinary tranquilizer that can blunt naloxone effectiveness in some cases.
Why it matters: Boardman said overdose deaths nationwide and regionally remain high and that fentanyl has altered patterns of use and procurement. He showed local seizure photos and described youth-targeted products—brightly colored candies and pressed pills—linking them to rising juvenile overdoses. "They absolutely assign a dollar value to our kids' lives, and they're actively targeting them as a demographic," he said.
Council members asked about interagency coordination, and Boardman said the task force already works with Kootenai County SIU, the DEA, Idaho State Police and regional counterparts in Spokane. He said a member of the team is a DEA task force officer, which allows some cases to be elevated to federal prosecution. Council members also praised the department; Council President Wood said she was “incredibly proud” of the work and asked about directed patrols and cross-jurisdictional operations.
The presentation included operational details Boardman offered for community awareness—signs of use, common paraphernalia and the limitations of naloxone—and he urged residents to report suspicious materials to reduce harm. He concluded by offering to answer follow-up questions and framed the task force as a mix of public-safety response and public-health partnership.
Ending: Council thanked the department for the briefing and for the work of the new unit; Boardman said the department will continue outreach and coordination with regional partners.
