Kelch hired as new Whitefish Chief of Police

After two decades of patrolling the streets of Whitefish, Bridger Kelch has been officially hired as the new police chief.

The transition to chief of police has been smooth for Kelch. He has served Whitefish for 21 years, including five years as assistant chief and the last six months as interim chief of police following Bill Dial's retirement in August.

At a recent City Council meeting, City Manager Dana Smith announced Bridger Kelch’s appointment as the new chief of police to a round of applause. She said Kelch is a community asset and the staff is “very thrilled with the new hire.”

Mayor Muhlfeld added his congratulations to the new chief, saying he was impressed with Kelch’s command of the subject matter and with the depth of his professional career.

“I’m very proud to have our new chief of police be a born and raised citizen here in Whitefish,” Muhlfeld said. “I think you're going to do an exceptional job and represent our city very well.”

Kelch’s application for the position had the unanimous support of the police commission. His interview included school district leaders, the Mayor, and city staff.

The Whitefish native relies on his vast police experience, which began as a military police officer, to have a proactive approach to policing the community.

Kelch said one of the most desirable things about policing Whitefish is dealing with “a lot of different things at a very manageable level.”

Though Whitefish is a small community, the transient population affords the police chances to work with a variety of people in various situations, according to Kelch.

He added that each of Whitefish’s officers has the wide range of skills needed to perform all the roles of a successful police officer. In addition to enforcing the laws, officers provide education, counseling, and relate to members of the community in positive ways.

Kelch said he leads a great team of well-rounded, educated, trained officers who are able to make most every contact have the chance to end in a positive way.

“We are very much proactive in policing Whitefish,” Kelch said. “I think the only way to community police is to proactively police. Once you get to the point of reacting, you’ve lost control. You are no longer community policing, you are policing the negative in your community, not taking advantage of the positive.”

“My goal is to always remain a proactive police department,” he added.

The police department currently employs 16 officers and will be hiring another shortly to keep up with the population growth in Whitefish, Kelch mentioned.

KELCH JOINED the Army after graduating from Whitefish High School. When it came time to choose a Military Occupational Specialty, he chose military police. If he decided not to stay in the Army, he would be set up for a career.

While stationed in Germany, he was able to get a good feel for life in and around Kitzingen, often dining with co-workers and their families who lived in the surrounding villages. That experience confirmed that people everywhere want the same things.

He served in Bosnia and Fort Sill, Oklahoma where he honed his skills as a communicator and as an educator while policing the small town.

After five years in the Army, Kelch returned home to Montana and began his career with the Flathead County Sheriff's Office before being hired full-time by Whitefish in 2001. He was the town’s first school resource officer before working as a sergeant, then as a patrol lieutenant for 10 years. His experience also includes detective work.

The pressures of his job as head of the Whitefish Police force and the demands of busy family life do not keep the Kelchs from enjoying all the fun Montana has to offer, both outdoors and indoors.

Kelch’s wife, a teacher at Muldown Elementary, and their two children enjoy skiing and fishing together. When the kids were younger, the family would ski every Saturday and Sunday.

“Now that both the kids are in sports, we’re running to Ronan and basketball courts all over the state,” he said with a laugh.

The family still loves to ski at any chance they get, but sometimes a chance to slow down is welcomed — especially when temps on Big Mountain recently dropped to below freezing.

“[That day] we decided to stay in and watch a movie,” the Chief recalled.