'Back the Blue' rally set to show support

SANDPOINT — Thank you.

That's the message area residents want to send to the community's law enforcement crews.

Local law enforcement and first responders work day in, day out to keep the community safe, Back the Bonner Blue Rally organizers Jim Kelly and Dave Lotze said. To thank them, and call attention to their efforts, community residents are gathering Saturday from noon to 2 p.m. on First Avenue along the sidewalks fronting the Bonner County Courthouse and Sandpoint Community Hall.

"You hold a rally and you say, 'Go, team, go, you know, we're behind you all the way. We support you, rah, rah, rah,'"  Kelly said previously. "And that's what this is. It's a rally."

Kelly created the rally — a distinction he stresses — as a way to show support for local law enforcement after recent events left many feeling dispirited and questioning whether to stay in the field. The first year Kelly held the rally on his own, but for the past  several years he has teamed up with the Bonner County Sheriff's Chaplains.

The concept is simple. The community gathers in the high-visibility location — located at the south entrance to Sandpoint — to show support for anyone in law enforcement — from deputies to the dispatchers to the clerks and corrections officers.

The event, now in its fifth year, typically draws more than 100 people lining the sidewalks along First Avenue. Many hold signs showing support for local law enforcement, wearing T-shirts with a similar message, and waving the American flag as drivers honk their horns and give a thumbs up in a sign of support.

The challenges facing modern police departments make it hard to recruit officers and other front-line workers, Kelly said. A retired police officer himself, Kelly wanted local law enforcement — from the front lines to those in support roles — to know the community cared about them and was here for them.

While officers may know in their head that the community supports them, the rally gives a physical presence to that concept and allows the local law enforcement community to see it first-hand.

Since the rally began in 2020, Kelly said the event has grown and is gaining momentum. While numbers were down slightly in 2023, officials last year attributed that to a large number of events held the same weekend.

Seeing the crowds waving posters and flags and passersby honking and waving hello means a great deal to his employees, Bonner County Sheriff Daryl Wheeler said last year.

"In Bonner County, we're incredibly blessed to live here with such great support for law enforcement, and this is really a tribute to law enforcement and the service that they provide to those who live here and visit here," Wheeler said in 2023.

Seeing the support boosts his employees' spirits and makes them realize the community cares about them, Wheeler said.

"I think it encourages each officer to do the best job they can, and also, I think it reminds us that sets us apart from the rest of the country because we're so unique and have such a groundswell of support for law enforcement here."

Attendees are asked to refrain from blocking the sidewalk or street in a way that impedes pedestrian and vehicle traffic.

Yard signs supporting local law enforcement will be available at no charge. A no-host food catering truck will be on site for those wishing to grab something to eat as they show their support.

The event, as it has in the past, looks to be a great event, organizers said.

"We look forward to seeing the citizens of Bonner County come out to support the men and women who protect our lives," Kelly said.

    A man waves to a passing car as he takes part in the 2023 Back the Bonner Blue rally.