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2020 reflections: Sheriff discusses police reform, other challenges facing officers

by SCOTT SHINDLEDECKER
Hagadone News Network | December 26, 2020 12:00 AM

The killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers in May set off an eruption of protests and riots across the nation as many called for changes to how police do their job and how law enforcement is funded.

In the Flathead Valley, those who swore to uphold the law have largely enjoyed positive views of their work, but Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino said those national protests did have an impact on local officers and their families. Recently, Heino spoke with the Inter Lake about the ongoing discussion on police reform and other challenges facing law enforcement in Northwest Montana.

“We’re proud of our jobs, and our families are proud of us. We have to make personal sacrifices at times, but we still have to explain to our kids why some make negative comments about officers,” Heino said.

“In the community, there is a great showing of support here. But that being said, the general attention on the law enforcement community, there was a lot of negativity on social media and we’re affected to a degree by what’s on TV or radio.”

A few largely peaceful protests were held in the Flathead Valley last summer, including one in Kalispell and an ongoing one in Whitefish, in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. While those generated attention on how law enforcement operates, Heino noted the challenges law officers faced locally in 2020, including three officer-involved shootings and the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“COVID has created stress for everyone,” Heino said.

“In the officer-involved shootings, they made the choice to shoot at us when we responded to calls from people who needed help.

“When someone talks about defunding the police, Montana doesn’t have a lot of officers to begin with.”

Heino points out that Flathead County has 63 officers in the Sheriff’s Office serving a population of more than 100,000 people.

“We should have closer to 80 officers,” Heino said. “Flathead County is one of the busiest departments in the state on a per officer basis.”

He cited an FBI report that recommends one officer for every 1,500 people, and said his department takes 42,000 calls annually.

“It could even be a medical call where someone is combative and we need to assist,” he said.

The officer-involved shootings represent a big change in law enforcement for 42-year-old Heino.

“When I started in 2001, active shooters weren’t such a big thing,” he said. “Now, our mental health calls are through the roof. Internet crimes barely existed 20 years ago and they are huge now, so the volume of crime has risen quite a bit.”

Heino said mental health calls were often referred to different state programs, but after budget cuts, “We end up dealing with them, so that’s a challenge that has grown.”

Some who talk about defunding police departments seek to increase spending in mental health care. It’s a notion in which Heino has mixed feelings.

“When you look back in time, at the state and federal levels, money for mental health issues has decreased quite a bit, so law enforcement has had to respond in the form of more training in crisis negotiating and mental health calls at the Montana Law Enforcement Academy and locally,” Heino said. “I certainly don’t disagree with the idea of more funding for mental health, but what I do disagree with is the idea of mental health professionals responding to calls with people who may be suicidal or combative.

“We [law officers and mental health providers] each have a role in dealing with such individuals and most mental health providers we work with, they typically don’t want to be the first one in the door,” Heino said.

Heino also talked about how law officers have had to change and adapt to the situations they face, as well as how they operate in tactical operations.

“Less lethal options, such as Tasers, bean bag rounds or rubber bullets are common now,” he said. “Sheriff’s deputies have six hours training monthly … and crisis negotiation is part of it.”

Heino said despite what is occurring in some areas of the country, he feels law officers here are well supported.

“We have an advantage of being in a mid-sized community where the officers have family here and there is a lot of social interaction between officers and the public,” he said. “When we have an opening in our department, we’re still getting several dozen applicants.

“People want to move here and work here in part because they see how we deal with people.

“We could’ve had a run-in with you last week and we’re still going to come and try and help if someone breaks into your home this week,” Heino said. “We all signed up to protect our communities and save lives.”

Reporter Scott Shindledecker can by reached at sshindledecker@dailyinterlake.com.