Homeowner recounts Idaho Falls Police kicking in his door

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — (UPDATE 8:30 p.m) We spoke to Kyle Adams about the incident and he said "it was a nice evening hang out with the boys, and then just the knock on the door. She goes out and then all of a sudden door gets kicked in. Just fear. I mean, you know, ever know who's breaking and entering? I mean, that's kind of what it look like. And my next fear was my kids like their safety and it was just a scary moment."

(1:30 p.m.) – Idaho Falls Police respond to a video released to a YouTube channel titled 'The Civil Rights Lawyer.'

Kyle Adams, of Idaho Falls, submitted the video to John Bryan, the host of the YouTube channel. The episode, released on November 13, said the brother of Adam's girlfriend had come to his home after a fishing trip. Bryan said the brother was on probation in Hawaii and violated his parole. Bryan claims the brother posted a photo on Facebook where an angry ex-girlfriend called police.

The video shows Idaho Falls Police at the door of Adam's home to serve the arrest warrant. Adams claims an officer kicked open the door after his girlfriend closed the door to go get her brother.

Adams and the officers have a verbal argument. Adams claims that because they didn't have a search warrant, the officers couldn't enter his home. Eventually, the officers entered the home and forcibly took Adams outside along with two children and his girlfriend.

The video has caused an uproar with those who saw it.

According to Idaho Falls Police, the video incident happened on November 3, 2024.

On Friday, November 15, Idaho Falls Police responded to the incident with the following statement.

 "The Idaho Falls Police Department is aware of a video circulating that shows an interaction between a homeowner and one of our police officers that occurred on November 3rd, 2024. We recognize that the interaction has caused concern for many who have seen the video and share in that concern. 

Idaho Falls Police Officers were searching for a man with a felony warrant and had information that the wanted person was visiting a residence in Idaho Falls. When officers knocked on the door, a woman answered and came outside to speak with officers. Before the woman closed the door, the officer saw the wanted man inside the house. The officer forced the door open then engaged in a verbal argument with a second man, later identified as the homeowner. After a short time, officers entered the house and removed the homeowner. Officers worked with the woman to remove two children from the home who waited in an Idaho Falls Police patrol car during the rest of the incident. Officers were then able to call to the wanted person inside the home who surrendered and was taken into custody on his warrant. The homeowner, woman and children returned to the residence shortly thereafter. 

At the Idaho Falls Police Department, we regularly review incidents to ensure our officers are acting within established law and policy, and that the training they receive is thorough and correct. This incident was reviewed shortly after it occurred, and department leadership immediately took steps to address the situation. We are ensuring that thorough understanding of what occurred in this incident is documented and evaluating where we can and should improve. 

IFPD leadership reached out to the homeowner involved several days ago. He has chosen not to speak with us at this time and we respect his decision not to do so. He did contact IFPD the day after this incident occurred, however, the incident had not been reviewed and the person he spoke with was not familiar with what the details of what occurred. 

The Idaho Falls Police Department believes in and supports the Constitution and is committed to upholding the rights guaranteed within it. Our core values include integrity, excellence, and trust. We are committed to demonstrating integrity by acknowledging when mistakes are made and taking corrective action. We are committed to excellence by always striving to ensure our officers have the highest level of training and conduct themselves at the high standard we and our community expect of them. We are committed to building trust between the department and the community and thank our community for their support as we work to do so. 

Local News 8 has requested an interview with Adams about the video, but told us he needs to get legal advice before he can speak to us.