Idaho detective awarded $1.5M for state police retaliation

An Ada County jury has decided Idaho State Police retaliated against a detective for concerns he raised over a fatal crash investigation years ago. The Idaho Statesman reports the jury awarded Brandon Eller $1.5 million in damages on Tuesday and $30,500 in lost wages. Eller accused police officials of meddling in an investigation into a 2011 crash, in which a Payette County sheriff’s deputy struck and killed a civilian. Some at the agency thought the civilian was at fault, while others believed the deputy was. Eller claims those who sided with the civilian saw their careers plummet, while those who took the agency’s side moved up the ranks. UPDATE: Idaho State Police Colonel Kedrick Wills said he was disappointed in the outcome of the trial, but respects the legal process and the rights of employees to pursue their legal rights. “When I took over the watch here at ISP, one of the first things we did was to initiate a climate survey seeking ideas for improvement from all ISP personnel. We are now several weeks into that process, which utilizes an outsider – a retired ISP employee – to conduct each face-to-face interview. In addition, ISP headquarters staff continues to look for other opportunities to improve processes across our statewide organization,” said Wills. He said ISP would continue its mission to provide public safety through “law enforcement excellence”.