EAGLE, Idaho — An Eagle City Council member says his life-and-death experiences in law enforcement are driving his mission to keep the rapidly growing city safe.
Robert Gillis retired as a sergeant from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department after more than 25 years in law enforcement before moving to Idaho. His career included work in the gang unit, organized crime, and South Central Los Angeles. He has been shot at, been the victim of violent crime multiple times, and lost multiple friends in the line of duty — including a close friend killed by a robbery suspect just one year into his career.
He recently published a memoir documenting that career — a book he said he wrote partly as therapy and partly to let others in law enforcement know they are not alone.
"I saw that PTSD was a real thing in law enforcement, not just in law enforcement, fire departments, emergency services in general, but alcohol is a big part of it. People use alcohol to cope. We start compartmentalizing all the things that we see, the terrible things, the dead bodies, the death and carnage all over the place," Gillis said.
The memoir debuted at No. 1 on Amazon for regional U.S. new releases and held that position for 8 days. The Kindle version remained No. 1 for nearly 2 weeks after release.
One of the defining moments Gillis describes is responding to the 2019 Saugus High School shooting in California — an incident featured on the cover of the book. Five students were shot and the suspect, a student, killed himself. Gillis said he and his department had grown tired of active shooter training in the years leading up to that day — but when the moment came, it made all the difference.
"That morning when I was rolling up that street and all the kids were running past me out of the school, and I had confirmation there's shots fired and kids down. I was glad I had all that training," Gillis said.
He ran into the school and found an off-duty friend doing CPR on one of the students who had been shot. A 15-year-old girl was lying nearby.
"She was staring at me. She was gone. I mean, she — I could see she was gone, but what people don't understand with active shooter incidents — we're no good to the victims if we don't stop the shooter," Gillis said.
He noted that people from the Treasure Valley have personal connections to that shooting — including retired officers who had children at Saugus High School that day.
Gillis said his final day on the job — which opens the first chapter of the book — ended with a pursuit and shots fired, with his daughter on a ride-along. He moved to Idaho intending to retire, but said he lasted about 6 months before feeling the need to stay involved.
He joined Code 3 to 1, a local retired peace officers group, and began working on legislation at the Idaho Capitol. He also joined the board of Crime Stoppers of Idaho, became a peer support person with Courageous Survival of Idaho and helped advance the Sentinel school safety program with West Ada School District and Meridian Police Department.
Gillis founded Idaho Tough on Crime, a group of 6 board members focused on public safety legislation. Among the bills he has been involved with:
HB 380 — Gillis wrote the original version of this bill, which makes a suspect in a child sex abuse case eligible for the death penalty when the victim is under 12 years old and certain criteria are met. He wrote it after reviewing data showing more than 5,000 child sex abuse cases in Idaho over the last 5 years. The bill passed and was signed by Governor Brad Little on March 26, 2025. It went into effect on July 1, 2025
HB 183 — Known as the Bolter-Stahl Bill, Gillis wrote this legislation and named it for two peace officers killed in the line of duty in the Treasure Valley. The bill sought to strengthen Idaho's sentencing laws for killing or attempting to kill a law enforcement officer — laws Gillis described as weak — and to update language in state law that did not reference female officers. The bill was killed and did not advance.
HB 752 — Gillis did not write this bill but was asked to support it and testified in favor of it in the Senate based on concerns rooted in his professional experience. His wife also worked sex crimes and rapes as a detective. Gillis said the bill was later characterized as an anti-transgender measure, but that was not his reason for supporting it. It passed and was signed into law by Governor Brad Little on March 31, 2026.
HB 518 — Gillis did not write this bill but was asked to support it and testified before both the House and Senate. The bill strengthens Idaho's ability to prosecute human trafficking by allowing the state attorney general to step in when a county prosecutor is unable to handle a case. It passed and was signed into law by Governor Brad Little on March 11, 2026.
Gillis also testified against legislation that would have stripped city councils and mayors of authority over local development decisions.
"I didn't understand why legislators from North Idaho are coming down here, coming to our Capitol and telling a city like Eagle how we're supposed to develop or not develop. I think it's wrong," Gillis said.
Gillis acknowledged that his California background has drawn scrutiny from some in the community.
"I've heard it, you know, I'm that California cop. What am I doing getting involved in stuff here," Gillis said.
He said his move to Idaho was made possible by the very thing he is now working to protect.
"I would never have moved here if law enforcement and prosecutors hadn't done the great job that they do."
According to Vote Idaho, new arrivals to Eagle from California between 2020 and 2025 are 82 percent Republican, 11 percent unaffiliated, 4 percent Democratic and 2 percent other.
Gillis said he is aware of the irony of being part of the growth he is trying to manage.
"I blame myself too. I am part of the problem. I create more traffic, my family does. The prices have gone up, Eagle Road's a nightmare," Gillis said.
But he said his motivation is clear.
"I wanna do everything possible to make sure this place never becomes where I came from."
He said he has watched concerning patterns emerge since moving to Idaho — including the shooting of Deputy Brandon Austin off Beacon Light Road, the stabbing of Todd Nelson on the freeway on Easter night in 2023 and the death of Deputy Bolter in April 2024 on Overland Road, along with numerous other incidents involving law enforcement.
"Just things are happening. I'm starting to see this pattern of this is the stuff we dealt with," Gillis said.
"We love this place. We want to protect it. And my thing is, if we lose Idaho, if we lose the Treasure Valley, where do you go?"
Eagle Police Chief Travis Ruby has 26 years of law enforcement experience. He tells Idaho News 6 he understands firsthand what draws people here.
"Idaho was the worst kept secret for a long time — meaning that people found that we have these incredible amenities. We have beautiful mountains, we have beautiful lakes and rivers and ponds, we have incredible outdoor activities, and there's lots to do here, and so people want to move here and they want to be part of that," Ruby said.
He said growth brings both convenience and congestion — more stores, more neighborhoods and more people on the roads.
Ruby said protecting children is among the department's highest priorities, and that Eagle Police work to maintain a visible, proactive presence in the community — attending events, conducting classroom presentations, engaging with homeowners groups and building relationships with residents.
He said he is proud of the full scope of work his team does every day — from patrol deputies maintaining road safety to school resource officers building trust with students, detectives protecting residents from fraud and theft, and persons crimes detectives handling the most personal and sensitive cases.
"We've come to expect and that the citizens of Eagle expect that we provide that high quality of service, so we can continue to make Eagle a safe place to live, work and play," Ruby said.
Ruby said the department's work is a collaborative effort that extends to City Hall, the mayor and the city council.
For data on Eagle Police's overall crime report, click here.
Gillis' memoir is available on Amazon and Kindle.
