Effect of Spokane Crime on North Idaho?

[mistyriver]

Originally Posted by Toyman at Jewel Lake

Spokane had the highest rate of car theft (and I think car break-ins) in the nation at one point IIRC. It comes from a criminal justice system that does nothing about property crimes-at one point they weren't even taking reports-"too busy" to bother with property crimes. But not to set up speed traps and write cell-phone tickets. Seems like some sense has returned to Spokane PD in the last decade or so and things are getting better. Rumor had it that a lot of the car thefts were being committed by Russian gangs-Spokane has a large Russian population. I'm nut sure if that is true or just local "urban legend".

It’s true that Spokane has a large and often sketchy Russian population and THAT has crept over into north Idaho if what I’ve heard is true.
Allegedly, Russian men were stopping people on the forest service road up to the slide rocks up at Priest Lake and demanding an admission fee. I heard that from a few people who actually were there.
More of a rumor is that Russian groups worked to book up reservations at the state park campgrounds up there and were running some kind of sex operation a few years back. That story seems a bit far fetched.
I do know people will tell you here not to buy a car from a Russian.