Savage plans to stay in law enforcement 'in some way'

SANDPOINT - Former Bonner County Sheriff Elaine Savage says she is looking forward to some time off and working her cattle ranch north of Priest River.

"I'm just going to take time off for a little while," said Savage, whose four-year term as the county's top law officer ended earlier this month.

Savage said she will miss the people in her department and working with other sheriffs around Idaho, although she said the friendships she's formed along the way will endure.

She admits she won't miss being on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week or the inability to take vacation and sick days. The dead-of-night notifications of tragic incidents also won't be missed.

"You never know when you pick up the phone," said Savage.

Savage, who lost the Republican nomination for sheriff to Daryl Wheeler in the May 2008 primary, said her first consideration when she was advised of trouble was, "Is everybody OK?"

Wheeler ultimately went on to win the post by a wide margin and took office earlier this month. She said her main piece of advice to Wheeler was to make time for family, no matter how hectic things get.

Savage initially said she had no regrets about her time in office, but quickly corrected herself.

"My one regret is that I was not able to answer accusations made against me or members of my staff," she said, noting that sage legal advice kept her from speaking out. "I like to fight my battles."

Savage added that she was also disappointed to have to tangle with election-season allegations that she was merely a bureaucrat instead of a cop. She became a law officer in 1986 in Irving, Texas.

"My certification has not lapsed since then," she said.

Savage said she counts bringing up deputy wages to levels comparable to those of other local law-enforcement agencies as one of her biggest accomplishments while in office. For a time, the sheriff's office was training deputies only to see them move on to greener pastures.

See SAVAGE, Page 3

"We lagged pretty far behind Sandpoint and Ponderay," she said.

Savage is also proud of the fact that the jail passed all of its inspections, despite a growing inmate population and a building that cannot be expanded. She leaves office with only one pending jail-related tort claim, which was filed by an inmate who alleges his mental health needs were not properly addressed.

Savage said an experience which will be permanently etched into her memory was last year's high-speed chase in which a theft suspect opened fire on Deputy Mitch Parnell. The suspect, who died in the ensuing shoot-out, fired a round which miraculously passed through Parnell's uniform without hitting him.

"I realize how close we came to losing a deputy," she said. "That was one of the most profound moments my career."

Although Savage said she's not entirely sure what her next move will be, she isn't quitting the field she's been in for the past 20 years.

"I do desire to stay in law enforcement in some way shape or form, but I think I'm going to enjoy some quiet time," Savage said.