Norris was appointed to the office on January 1, 2021, after his predecessor left early. He was appointed
unanimously by the Kootenai County Board of County
Commissioners (BOCC). His appointed term lasted ten days, from January 1 to January 10, 2021. He was officially sworn in as the elected Kootenai County Sheriff on January 11, 2021.
Reform Norris has annually sought an increase in the Sheriff's department
budget. Since the start of his term in 2021, the Sheriff's department
budget, as of 2024, has seen an 18.91% increase. Since 2022, the Sheriff's department, in partnership with the
non-profit Kootenai County Regional Air Support, has been authorized to operate a
helicopter to support regional
search and rescue missions, as well as other first responder operations.
Concerns and incidents Traffic stop pepper spray incident In Norris's first month as the Kootenai County Sheriff, a viral video showed him pulling out pepper spray while talking to a man who was recording a
traffic stop. The video showed Brad Nelson, a citizen of Kootenai County, asking questions regarding a
traffic stop. After Nelson got close enough so a Sheriff Lieutenant and Norris could hear his questions, Norris approached Nelson and asked him to step back. Nelson was apprehensive and told Norris, "Shut the fuck up and get back to work." Norris stepped closer, threatening to use his pepper spray, which ended the confrontation. Norris later issued a press release in the
''Coeur d'Alene Press'', stating, "The idea of local citizens using their video cameras with the intention of harassing our officers and interfering with their duties, only to later portray us online as if we were in the wrong, contributes to this national disgrace."
COVID-19 pandemic During the
COVID-19 pandemic, he released multiple press statements saying that he would not enforce COVID-19 guidelines or mask mandates.
Unauthorized removal of books In 2023, Norris claimed that books with explicit
sexual content were available to
teenagers in local
libraries, specifically citing the books
Deal With It! A Whole New Approach to Your Body, Brain, and Life as a Gurl and
Identical. Norris argued that these books
generally violated
Idaho state law and should be placed in an area for adult library patrons only. Norris's unauthorized removal of two books and his refusal to return them drew public attention to the county. The Community Library Network (CLN), which operates the
Post Falls library, defended the books following Norris's actions, noting that they are classified as
young adult non-fiction. CLN also clarified that minors require parental or
legal guardian permission to sign up for a
library card. The CLN had and continues to have a process in place for people to request that the library reconsider the materials it makes available to youth.
Pennie Collinson defamation claim In July 2024, photographer Pennie Collinson, who had worked for Norris's 2020 election opponent during his 2022 primary campaign for county clerk, filed a notice of
tort claim against Norris personally, seeking over $500,000 in
defamation damages. She alleged that during an April 2024 campaign event, Norris made derogatory sexual remarks about her and her photography business. After the
defendants, Norris and Kootenai County, failed to respond to the initial
tort claim, Collinson was able to file a
lawsuit in October 2024. The
lawsuit accuses Norris of
slander,
defamation, placing her in a false light, and causing
emotional distress. Addressing the
lawsuit once more in a sheriff's office news release, Norris reaffirmed his stance, describing the claim as politically motivated and promising to contest what he termed "a hoax".
ICE detainee surge In January 2025, under Norris's leadership, the Kootenai County Jail saw a sharp rise in out-of-state
detainees held for
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, particularly from states where laws limit law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Norris attributed this spike to the
Trump administration’s executive orders on immigration enforcement and the passage of the
Laken Riley Act.
Kootenai County receives $112 per day per detainee under a federal contract. These financial incentives raised concerns that the increase in
ICE detainees was artificially manufactured.
Removal of woman from meeting In February 2025, during a legislative town hall at
Coeur d’Alene High School organized by the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee (KCRCC), Teresa Borrenpohl, a local activist and Democratic politician, was physically restrained and removed from the meeting after causing a disruption by heckling over the potential repeal of
Idaho's Medicaid expansion. According to
The Spokesman-Review, KCRCC chair Brent Regan claimed that Borrenpohl and others had shouted "six or seven times" as lawmakers spoke, and had received "three" verbal warnings to stop interrupting before the town hall continued after each interruption. Norris first attempted to remove Borrenpohl from her seat himself, grabbing her arms. After his attempts failed, he appears to order three men from the private security firm LEAR Asset Management to physically remove Borrenpohl from the meeting. Norris denied giving the men any specific direction and, along with the KCRCC, claimed “no knowledge” of the security arrangements. However, Regan stated later that “nothing was done without him (Norris) being aware.” As two of the three men dragged Borrenpohl out, she repeatedly screamed, “Who are these men?” “This man is assaulting me!” and “Where is your badge?” Meanwhile, Norris was heard yelling at bystanders to stop recording and telling Borrenpohl, “You, out, now.” Coeur d’Alene Police Chief Lee White, who has legal jurisdiction over the location, has since condemned the incident, citing the
First Amendment. Based on White's recommendations, Coeur d’Alene prosecutors dropped the misdemeanor battery citation against Borrenpohl for allegedly biting the hand of one of the men who forcibly removed her, and the city of Coeur d’Alene has revoked the security company’s business license. Days after the incident, Undersheriff Brad Nelson released the first official press statement from the Sheriff's Office regarding the incident on social media platforms. The statement claimed that there were "NO Kootenai County Deputy Sheriff's or other personnel present at or involved in this incident." Similarly, the
Coeur d’Alene School District, which rented the facility to the KCRCC, stated in an online media release that the facility use agreement signed by the KCRCC required them to hold a public use forum. The district also disavowed Norris and Regan’s characterization of the event as a “private event,” which the KCRCC used to justify removing Borrenpohl. The recommended charges include battery against Borrenpohl and three other individuals, as well as
false imprisonment of Borrenpohl and Gregory Johnson, and "violations of security agent duties and uniform requirements". While city police identified Norris as an involved party, they stated that the legality of his actions remains "to be determined". As of April 2025, Norris is represented by attorney Kinzo Mihara, while Borrenpohl is represented by attorney
Wendy Olson, who filed a notice of tort claim seeking $5 million in damages with the Kootenai County Clerk, alleging that Norris and those acting with him violated Borrenpohl’s constitutional rights. In August 2025, Johnson also filed a tort claim notice against Kootenai County and Norris, seeking $2.5 million in damages for alleged violations related to his involvement in the incident. In November 2025,
Raul Labrador, through the Idaho Attorney General’s Office, concluded the state's review and declined to file any criminal charges, including battery, against Norris, stating that no charges were warranted based on the "evidence". In early December 2025, misdemeanor charges were dismissed against four of the five security guards involved, including the battery and false imprisonment counts. The civil tort claims by Borrenpohl and Johnson remain ongoing, with no reported resolutions.
Revocation of special deputy status for local police chiefs In December 2025, it was reported that Norris had unilaterally revoked the special deputy privileges of White, Dave Hagar, and Rathdrum Police Chief Dan Haley, according to public records. The revocations were outlined in a letter sent to the three officers, which provided no explanation for the action and required them to surrender their identification cards to the Sheriff's Office later in December 2025. White said of the revocation that Norris was throwing a “temper tantrum” and alleged that it stemmed from the three officers' roles in investigating Norris's conduct during the
removal of woman from meeting controversy. Although Norris was mentioned in the resulting police reports, he was not designated as a suspect. Haley had previously led the town hall investigation as a detective with the Coeur d'Alene Police Department before becoming Rathdrum's chief in October 2025. White, in a comment to the
CDA Press, said, “I’m just hoping the sheriff calms down.” == 2020 Kootenai County Sheriff race ==