Garden City has a new police chief. Here’s what we know
Garden City has a new police chief who is a veteran of the Treasure Valley.
Cory Stambaugh was confirmed as chief of the Garden City Police Department on Monday. He served as interim chief after the former Chief Rick Allen retired in July. Allen served as chief for eight years and was an officer with the department since 1994, he previously told the Idaho Statesman.
Stambaugh, 54, started as an officer in Garden City in 1995, before transferring to the Boise Police Department in 2008, where he attained the rank of patrol sergeant, he told the Statesman. In February 2020, he returned to Garden City as a lieutenant.
He also served as president of the Boise Police Union and was one of the founders of the Treasure Valley chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police, an organization that supports police officers, according to previous Statesman reporting.
“I didn’t expect it when I came back to Garden City,” Stambaugh said by phone of his new position. “It’s a big responsibility to the community ... I just don’t want to let them down.”
Stambaugh said Garden City is experiencing rapid growth, with new apartment buildings going up quickly along the Boise River. That could pose challenges for policing, and he said the department is monitoring to see if their service calls increase, which could require more officers. The department has 27 officers.
On Aug. 9, officers at the Police Department shot at a suspect after reports of gunshots at a local home. An 18-year-old and a 16-year-old have seen been arrested.
Stambaugh said the department will not be releasing further information until after the criminal cases have closed.
The Treasure Valley has seen a spike in police shootings this year.
“We have people that are in mental health crisis, people that have addictions, and people that are getting let out of prison on probation or parole when they should be still in prison,” Stambaugh said.
As interim chief, Stambaugh earned a $150,000 annual salary, according to city records. The Police Department’s other lieutenant, Tom Patterson, earns $140,587. Stambaugh told the Statesman his salary as permanent chief has not yet been finalized.
Boise Police Chief Ron Winegar earns $196,352, according to previous Statesman reporting.
