Chief encourages community to weigh in on extra officer

Kalispell Police Chief Roger Nasset told community members at his monthly Coffee with the Chief meeting on Wednesday that he would welcome community members to show up and voice their opinion at Monday’s city council work session, when the council is set to discuss options for funding an additional officer.

Nasset said that the department recently received notification that an application for a federal COPS grant has been rejected. The grant provides 75 percent of an officers’ salary for three years. The department has to agree to keep an officer on staff for an additional year as part of the grant.

The Kalispell Police Department had asked for two grant-funded officers.

“The majority of the grants went to the metropolitan areas,” Nasset said. “There were some agencies that received 25 or 30 officers and we couldn’t get one.”

Nasset said there might be some contingency money in the city’s budget to fund one additional officer and a canine search dog. Nasset said the department is seeing 4,500 more calls for service annually than it has in recent years. That’s an average of 12 additional calls for service per day. Nasset attributed the increase to more methamphetamine and heroin usage, which has sparked a spike in theft cases as addicts try to steal and pawn things to support their habit. The shortage of space at the Flathead County Detention Center has also contributed to the increase in calls as criminals commit offenses over and over without any immediate punishment, Nasset said.

The department currently has 39 officers on staff. A canine officer would be a big help in drug cases, Nasset said.

“That would be phenomenal,” Nasset said. “It would be a substantial improvement.”

Dogs can detect drugs and other contraband with their keen sense of smell that human officers often would not have enough probable cause to search for if drugs are cleverly hidden.

The department has not had a canine on staff in several years, but the interest within the department is huge, according to Nasset.

“It will be a sought after position,” Nasset said.

Nasset encouraged people at Coffee with the Chief to show up if they think another officer is warranted.

“Any support there is greatly appreciated,” Nasset said. “We certainly could use the help.”

The meeting takes place Monday at 7 p.m. at the City Hall Council Chambers, 201 First Ave. E., Kalispell.

Reporter Megan Strickland can be reached at 758-4459 or mstrickland@dailyinterlake.com.