Boise Police Officer Tapped to Lead Mountain Home Police Department

Mountain Home has selected a new leader for its police department. Kyle Wills, an officer with the Boise Police Department, has been chosen as the next chief, bringing nearly three decades of law enforcement experience to the post.

Wills said his priorities will be engaging with residents and rebuilding trust in the community. The job also marks a personal homecoming: he grew up in the Mountain Home area. "That's kind of going home for me," Wills said. He described it as "the old story where you go away and you go to the city, and you work in the city for a while and then you kind of head home."

He pointed to his time on the Boise department's motorcycle unit as important preparation for the role. Working alongside leaders of law enforcement agencies across the valley, he said, taught him a great deal and gave him confidence that he can handle the job. "I've been able to learn from some amazing people," Wills said.

His first task, Wills said, will be to immerse himself in the community he is about to serve. That begins with the department's own personnel. "Really getting to know the men and women of the Mountain Home Police Department," he said, before turning to residents. "I want to get to know the community, and I want to be a part of that community."

Wills described his approach to leadership as rooted in servant leadership. In his view, the most important work in a police agency happens at the front line. "I really think that leadership comes at the lowest level," he said, adding that the officers serving on the streets are "the most valuable part of any police department or police agency."

He will succeed Interim Chief Ty Larsen and Jake Dudley, who stepped into leadership after former Chief Johnathan Thompson resigned in late April amid departmental issues.

Wills acknowledged that arriving from outside the agency adds to the challenge of earning public confidence. "I know that I have to build trust in the community because I am coming from outside the agency and so it's going to be important for me," he said.

As of Monday, August 11, 2025, Wills remains with the Boise Police Department. He is awaiting an official start date in Mountain Home.