Police Staffing Request

In support of the City of Boise’s vision of Creating a City for Everyone, the Boise Police Department (BPD) is dedicated to safeguarding our community and providing equal access to public safety services for all citizens of Boise. BPD is keenly focused on community outreach and engagement; emphasizing partnerships with community members, organizations, and businesses to ensure a safe, healthy, and livable environment.

Special events are an integral part of an active, thriving, and growing city that reflect the community, cultures, and interest of citizens who live and work here. BPD supports the City’s special event process by working with event organizers to assess security risks, and by providing police staffing when warranted to maintain public safety. Each request for police staffing will be evaluated and a decision will be rendered after assessing the risk factors, size, timing, public impact, and safety needs. The usage of BPD staffing for an event is subject to the City of Boise and Boise Police Department policies and procedures.

Events utilizing police staffing will be invoiced to defray the costs associated with the personnel and equipment provided. A fee waiver process is in place for organizations lacking the ability to pay, to ensure equal access to services.

Process

Boise Police Officers can be contracted (and may be required) to provide security for your event. To start the process, you must first complete the City Clerk’s Special Event Application. The application will be routed through the City of Boise Special Events Team, which includes Police. After an event is approved by the City Clerk’s Office and staffing levels are determined, BPD will generate a Police Labor Agreement which reflects the number of Officers, total number of hours and price estimates for your event.

Complete Special Events Application

If your event does not meet the definition of a Special Event (is expected to have more than one thousand people, is on public property, and requires extraordinary resources including but not limited to alcohol compliance, security, emergency services, and road closures/traffic control,) and still requires police presence, the event organizer must then complete and submit the Police Staffing Request form below.

Police Staffing Request Form

Road Closures: Block Parties, Escorts, Marches

Before any road may be temporarily closed, two permits need to be requested and approved: The City of Boise Citizens Use Permit, and Ada County District’s Special Event Permit. If the anticipated attendance of the event is less than one thousand people permits are due at least five days prior to the event. If the anticipated attendance is more than one thousand or if alcohol will be served the permits are due at least 45 days prior to the event.

Required Forms

• City of Boise - Citizen Use Permit
• Ada County Highway District – Special Event Permit

BPD Guidelines for Event Staffing

Each event will be thoroughly reviewed and assessed to ensure compliance with City policies and procedures. To effectively manage police staffing requests without compromising police services to our community, the following guidelines will apply:

• BPD will not staff events for individuals, private social gatherings, or facility security. Examples include providing security for weddings, retail businesses on Black Friday, or employee termination threats. For these types of events, we suggest hiring a private security company. If you have an emergency dial 911.
• Examples of events where BPD staffing is appropriate include special events approved by the City Clerk’s Office, events including dignitaries, and significant cultural or community events that impact traffic and continuity of business for the surrounding community.
• BPD may require staffing of Police for public safety and/or traffic control reasons. Staffing levels, locations, and timing will be at the Department’s discretion.
• BPD recognizes that each event is unique and therefore each request will be evaluated on a case-by case basis
• The Chief of Police reserves the right to approve or deny any staffing request

The matrix below is a general guideline to determine staffing. Aggravating and Mitigating factors will affect police staffing levels:

Affidavit of Indigence

Every citizen and organization shall receive equal access to City services, and decisions to require or provide police staffing at events will not be based on the entity’s ability to pay. In accordance with City Code, any organization planning an event that cannot afford costs for city services shall have the right to request for waiver by filing an Affidavit of Indigence with the City Clerk. The Chief shall issue a written decision on whether the Affidavit of Indigence is approved or not. Contact the City Clerk for more information on this process.

To fill out an Affidavit of Indigence with the City Clerk’s Office, please contact the Clerk’s Office at specialevents@cityofboise.org.