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Sheriff's office defends SWAT training and ammunition budgets; commissioners opt not to cut lines now
Summary
Capt. Heil and the sheriff's office explained SWAT training, travel and ammunition needs to the Board of Commissioners; the board deferred cuts after hearing that some recent spending had shifted to equipment replacement and that team size and recent operations will increase consumable needs.
COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho ' The Kootenai County Sheriff's Office defended its Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) training, travel and ammunition budget lines at the July 11 FY26 budget work session, and commissioners declined to reduce those lines immediately after a department explanation.
Capt. Heil addressed the board when the auditor's office staff suggested several SWAT line items appeared high compared with three-year spending trends. Heil said training is required for disciplines such as explosive breaching and less-lethal tactics; the department tries to host or co-host classes locally or with neighboring Spokane jurisdictions to reduce travel, but some training still requires travel and associated costs. Heil also said the office redirected funds this year to replace expired ballistic vests, which reduced travel and training expenditures in the current-year accounting while overall SWAT spending remained near budget.
On ammunition and consumables, Heil said the planned ammo quantities are based on a full roster of team members and that recent incidents required use of gas, smoke and other expendables that will need to be replenished. "We plan out the training, how much ammo we use, every year and we've been coming in a little low because the county side of the SWAT team doesn't have as many people as we are allotted, but we plan for having ammo for everybody if the team was full," Heil said.
Commissioners said they wanted to minimize the county budget where possible but recognized training and equipment readiness are operational priorities; the board voted to leave the SWAT lines unchanged for now and revisit them in subsequent budget meetings if necessary.
Ending: Commissioners did not adopt cuts to SWAT travel, training or ammunition lines at the July 11 meeting; staff will return with additional information if future budget meetings require savings.
