Retiring Kalispell Police Chief reflects on law enforcement career

Outgoing Kalispell Police Chief Doug Overman has watched both Kalispell and policing techniques evolve in his time at the police department.

Overman is retiring from his post on June 1, after 23 years of service with the department.

Growing up in nearby Seeley Lake and going to college in Missoula, Overman found his calling to public service during the summer of his college years. While working as a wildland firefighter, he realized he wanted a career in emergency services.

He started out as a parole officer in a Missoula halfway house, which he said grounded him in his approach to law enforcement.

“For me it was the perfect place, it taught me how to communicate and manage male conflict,” he said in a recent interview.

From there Overman made his way up to Kalispell, where he joined the police force.

Starting as a young patrol officer and serving the last four years as chief, Overman has had some time to reflect on what has changed and what has remained the same during his career.

The implementation of body cameras, the increase in cell phone evidence, and the rise in drug use in Kalispell are trends that Overman has noticed. For example, all officers are now trained in the use of the overdose prevention medication Narcan.

Overman has also found the amount of behavioral health field work that falls on law enforcement to be a surprise, and said that he’s seen those responsibilities grow over the years.

He’s also seen police officers take more time to take care of their own mental health recently, which is the part of the culture he has tried to instill during his time in charge.

“When I started out, you just toughed it out,” he said.

Within the department, Overman has overseen an increase in critical incident debriefings and access to a peer wellness coordinator, a mental health professional with law enforcement experience to which officers can more easily relate.

The officers also receive unlimited counseling, a benefit which Overman said he has normalized, and encouraged his squad to take advantage of.

“We need to have healthy and grounded human beings making [law enforcement] decisions,” he said.

For Overman, the decision to retire is also one he is making for his own wellbeing.

Overman doesn’t know what the next chapter of his life will entail, although he is only 50 and says he’ll take on the next experience when it comes to him.

“I just realized it was my time to do something different,” he said. “The motivations are largely emotional.”

He is not involved in hiring his replacement, but is encouraged by the next generation of officers.

“I see the next generation’s youth and enthusiasm, and I knew it was time,” he said.

Overman describes his greatest success as fostering positive relationships with other law enforcement agencies and city departments as well as the public.

For his successor, he sees being available and having the ability to work with and communicate with the community as an important asset.

For the self-described small-town Montana kid, he sees those relationships as his legacy.

“I always answer the phone,” he said. “I work for the community, for the people.”

Overman plans to take the summer off, and enjoy fishing and backpacking and mountain biking with his wife. He hopes to build a home in Seeley Lake in a few years, where his family owns property.

Although parts of policing have changed, Overman still believes character and commitment to community service are key for good law enforcement.

“It still comes down to a human on the street trying to make a difference,” he said.

Reporter Adrian Knowler can be reached at 758-4407 or aknowler@dailyinterlake.com.