NewsLocal NewsIn Your NeighborhoodSouth Boise

Actions

TOP GUN: Officers and prosecutors get hands-on, intensive undercover narcotics training in Boise

Posted

SOUTH BOISE, Idaho — Officers and prosecutors from all over the Pacific Northwest are undergoing intensive undercover narcotics training at Gowen Field this week. The 'Top Gun' training program gives students a variety of experience in areas like surveillance techniques, warrant service and conducting a raid.

  • Nearly 40 students will be undergoing a 6-day intensive program this week at Gowen Field.
  • You can find information about drug overdoses in Idaho here.

(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)

Nearly 40 students from law enforcement agencies across the Pacific Northwest are undergoing intensive undercover narcotics training this week at Gowen Field.

"Most of these students are going to walk away here with about 64 hours of training in a week, and that training is going to consist of, from start to finish," said Lt. Jess Stennett, with the Idaho State Police.

Stennett helped coordinate the training which he says will give students valuable hands-on experience.

"They are going to learn how to do a drug investigation. Not just a simple drug investigation and a complex drug investigation and literally take down a network in a week. So, the accelerated-ness of it puts a lot of stress, but it also provides a lot of learning moments for these students," said Stennett.

According to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Idaho saw 197 fentanyl-related deaths in 2023.

"This is a very significant problem that we're trying to address," added Josh Hurwit, the US Attorney for the District of Idaho.

He tells me training like this helps prosecutors and law enforcement understand eachother's roles.

"In all parts of Idaho, we've had prosecutors go through this program and then work with the people they met here to do really amazing cases," said Hurwit. "You have prosecutors, you have investigators, you have police, folks from Idaho state police, all learning the same tools so that when they get back out into the field, not only do they know each other, but they know what each other are doing."