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Bonner County approves sheriff's mobile app after vendor privacy statements, public raises data concerns
Summary
The board approved a one-year agreement to deploy the Idaho Sheriffs Connect app. Commissioners and members of the public asked about anonymous tips, device history, and data storage; sheriff's office supplied vendor privacy language and the prosecutor's office completed a legal review.
The Bonner County Board of Commissioners approved a one-year agreement with Idaho Sheriffs Connect to build and maintain a mobile application for the Bonner County Sheriff's Office.
Sheriff Darryl Wheeler said the first-year cost is $8,467.25 and that the expense will be split among the sheriff's patrol, jail, marine division and dispatch miscellaneous accounts. Wheeler read a vendor statement clarifying that the vendor —does not share, sell, or mine data— and that no personal data is stored by the app because it does not require account registration. He also said anonymous tips submitted through the app would be routed directly to the sheriff's office or a designated tip service and the vendor would not retain them for third-party mining.
Public commenters expressed privacy and operational concerns. Teresa Heizer, a Priest River resident and a neighborhood-watch captain, asked whether calls and crime logs would be posted to the app and whether historical device records would confirm that a person had opened the app. Wayne Martin, a Bonner County resident, described receiving timely notifications in other counties and supported local adoption. Jim Lady urged a published policy and exemptions list for notifications. Sheriff Wheeler said the app can be configured to route anonymous tips to a designated sheriff's office email and that the vendor-supplied privacy disclosures are available and were provided to commissioners.
Prosecutor Bill Wilson confirmed the county requires a public terminal for legal research under Idaho law but separately advised that product privacy policies are published and that his office had no legal objection to the sheriff's app agreement after review. The board instructed that the sheriff provide vendor privacy documentation and asked the county technology director to review other county apps and software for data practices.
The motion to approve the one-year agreement and to allow the chair to sign passed on roll call. Commissioners noted the need to monitor vendor practices and to provide regular information to the public about what data the app collects and how tips are routed.
