The Moscow Police Department Police Chief James Fry is retiring later this spring. He is planning on running for Sheriff of Latah County later this year.
“I want to take some of the knowledge that I gained here and move it over to there and give them a different perspective and see if we can make a really good agency a little bit better.”
In 1993, while Fry was still a student at the University of Idaho, he joined the police force as a reserve police officer. In 1995 after he graduated with a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in criminal justice he was hired as a full-time patrol officer.
Fry would spend the next two decades climbing the ranks in the Moscow police force until 2016 when he would become chief of police.
Fry has several notable achievements while being police chief. Under Fry’s leadership the police force got a new police station facility, and police body cameras for officers. Fry is especially proud of the addition of a drug-sniffing dog that the MPD gained under his leadership.
“We got people dying from heroin overdoses and fentanyl overdoses. Everything we can do to save lives is important.” Fry said.
Fry also believes there is a need for mental health awareness in Moscow.
“There’s a need for more mental health counseling around to help people with their issues that they have going on.”
Fry was the police chief during the events of the King Road homicides, where four UI students were murdered. Fry commented on the MPD’s role in the King Road homicides case stating: “I know we had a lot of people frustrated, but there were reasons for that. That was to protect the integrity of that case, and I’ll stand by that no matter what.”
Fry commented on how his experience as a Vandal Alum helped him in the case.
“It gave me more of a passion to serve. When you are a Vandal alum, Vandal Strong doesn’t just relate to that incident that happened. It relates to everyday life. We are a proud group who come from a great University, and I’ll stand behind that any day.”
Fry commented that one of the largest difficulties in his position as police chief was people’s lack of understanding of what law enforcement does and how it operates.
“Sometimes things happen that are out of our control. Somethings take place that we have to react to, and they are not always pretty.”
Fry believes in the community policing philosophy and the power of strong community relationships. He values the strong relationships with the Moscow community and UI he maintained.
“I’ve graduated from the University of Idaho twice. I’ve been here 29 years. I love this community. I just want to expand that farther into Latah County instead of just Moscow.”
Police Chief Fry’s last day is April 30.
Ben DeWitt can be reached at [email protected] or on X @BenDeWitt321