Police Chief Denies School Zone Ticket Leniency Linked to Political Donations

Caldwell Police Chief Rex Ingram has denied any ties between a traffic incident in February and two In-Kind donations to Ada County Sheriff Matt Clifford’s campaign around the same timeframe.

Ingram was pulled over in February 2024 for going 38 miles per hour in a school zone and was not cited by Ada County Deputy Bryan Kindelberger, who serves as a police officer for the city of Eagle.

Several days after Ingram was let go from the traffic stop, two In-Kind donations were logged to Sheriff Matt Clifford’s re-election campaign. This story comes after Idaho Dispatch broke a story about Ingram using city funds to purchase tickets for a golfing event that was also a fundraiser for the Clifford campaign. According to Caldwell Public Information Officer Char Jackson, the $600 in city funds used was reimbursed several weeks ago.

On February 5th of this year, Ingram was traveling down Floating Feather Road through a school zone (20 mph limit) when Kindelberger pulled him over.

On the body cam footage that can be seen here, Kindelberger informs Ingram that he was going 38 mph and that even if the school zone was not applicable, the speed limit for the road is 35 mph.

Kindelberger asks for Ingram’s license and then asks Ingram where he is traveling to. Ingram tells the deputy that he is headed to work. When Kingelberger asks where Ingram works, he tells him he is the police chief for the city of Caldwell.

After Kindelberger hands Ingram his license back and says since he knew who he was, he wouldn’t need it, Ingram says, “You do what you gotta do, brother.” Kindelberger tells Ingram that he will just warn him about speeding in a school zone.

A few seconds later, the deputy leaves the stop.

That same day, Ingram emails Clifford and tells him the following (grammatical errors are from the original email):

“I just wanted to let you know that I was pulled over in Eagle on floating feather by Deputy Kindleberger, and he was extremely professional, courteous and mission driven. Although I wanted him to give me a ticket because I was speeding he gave me a warning but I just wanted to tell you that he was extremely professional and he is the exact right person. You need an eagle patrolling the streets and keeping Eagle residents safe!

Please pass along this information to Chief Ruby, and his command.”

Clifford and Eagle Police Chief Travis Ruby thanked Ingram the next day via email for the compliment.

On February 9th, four days after the traffic stop, Clifford’s treasurer’s report shows the two in-kind donations from Ingram. One was an optical sight for a firearm listed by the campaign at a value of $300, and the other was a $35 package from Starbucks.

The Clifford campaign held an event on February 9th, when the donations were reported.

However, one possible explanation is that the report date does not accurately reflect the date of the actual donation of the items. There are items listed on the report as February 9th that were donated before that date. For instance, the Clifford for Sheriff Facebook page mentions on January 26th that an air fryer was donated for the event, but the report date shows February 9th.

The optic and Starbucks packages were not found on the Clifford campaign page. It’s unclear whether they were donated on the event day, several days before, or weeks before. Idaho Dispatch tried to contact the Clifford campaign to find out the exact date but received no reply to our question.

Idaho Dispatch contacted the Ada County Sheriff’s Public Information Officer, Deputy Lauren Montague, to seek answers to several questions. In particular, we asked the sheriff’s office if they typically let individuals go with a warning for nearly doubling the speed limit in a school zone, whether law enforcement is given preferential treatment in such situations, and about the timing of the donations.

Clifford’s office told us they were respectfully declining to answer our questions.

In addition to contacting Clifford’s office, Idaho Dispatch contacted Jackson and asked for comment from the city of Caldwell. We asked about the chief’s speed in school zones, his example for his officers and Caldwell citizens, and questions about the donations and how they might look to others.

Jackson replied with the following message:

“Thanks for reaching out.

It is our understanding that the interaction with Deputy Kindelberger was professional and unremarkable.

The Chief identified himself and his position only after being asked where he works. If the suggestion is that the Chief should have been dishonest with the deputy to avoid disclosing his position, we respectfully disagree. Further, as you acknowledge, in the video, Chief Ingram is quick to assure the deputy that he is free to take whatever action he sees appropriate.  

Additionally, in response to your question about campaign donations, the two in-kind contributions directly coincide with Sheriff Clifford’s “Boots and Badges Concert Fundraiser” that was held on February 9. Connecting the two independent occurrences to try and assume ill-intent or wrongdoing is only giving credence to the small group of individuals who are intent on stifling the growth of the Caldwell Police Department.

While we appreciate the work that you do to report facts, it is clear that you and your site have now been targeted by this group to be a receptacle of false, malicious, and defamatory rumors about the Chief and CPD as a whole. The Chief would like to extend an invitation to you and your team to tour CPD, meet the men and women who serve the City of Caldwell, and see the change for yourselves – we are confident that you will be encouraged by the level of professionalism in policing we exhibit.”

Idaho Dispatch is happy to take the chief up on his offer to tour the Caldwell police department’s facilities and discuss the department’s vision.

However, given the history of government officials who have used money and gifts to gain favor with other government officials, it’s not illegitimate to ask about the donations. Our job as a news organization is to investigate allegations of wrongdoing and either dispel them or corroborate them with evidence. Our job is to hold the government accountable.

Either the Clifford campaign or Ingram can help dispel the rumors by showing the exact date of the donations. Then, people can decide for themselves what the intent or motive may be. Idaho Dispatch’s job is to gather the information, ask questions, and provide any evidence we can to the public.

If the donations were made on the date reported or between February 5th and 8th, the chief has to understand how they will look to anyone else in conjunction with the traffic incident. If the donations were made months after or months before, no one is likely to think anything of it. While the chief may be in the clear with the donations not being linked, he can’t deny that to the general public; it will warrant questions.

You’ll notice that the city’s statement does not address the serious nature of the traffic incident itself.

This was not a speeding incident, as the deputy said, where he would have been going 38 in a 35. This is not an infraction that most Idahoans don’t make on a daily basis. However, school zones have low speed limits for a reason. That limit is usually 20 mph because kids are in the vicinity, and kids get hit in school zones every year by people not following the 20 mph limit.

Should the chief set an example by following the traffic laws his officers are expected to enforce? Should he have been given a warning? Would you have been given a warning in that situation?

Let us know your thoughts on the story below.

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Tags: Ada County Sheriff, Bryan Kindelberger, Caldwell, Caldwell Police Department, Donations, Eagle, In-Kind, Matt Clifford, Rex Ingram, School Zone, Speeding, Traffic Stop, Travis Ruby

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