Tight budgets affecting cops

PABLO – With domestic violence and illegal drug use on the rise, CSKT Police Captain Louis Fiddler presented reports to the Tribal Counsel illustrating how the limited law enforcement budget makes it a challenge to keep the community safe.

“Most of my officers were born here, grew up here,” said Fiddler. “Due to low wages, limited job openings and long work hours, loyal officers are relocating their families in the hopes of growth and opportunity elsewhere.”

Residents and elected officials expressed similar concerns about the shortage of police officers in Saint Ignatius and Ronan.

“Citizens just cannot afford to have their taxes increased and without additional revenue, there is no additional funding for more officers in our cities or more competitive wages,” Saint Ignatius city employee Scott Morton said. “(Saint Ignatius) counsel members have broken down the numbers and stretched them as far as they are going to go.”

With misdemeanor crimes such as vandalism, curfew violations and public intoxication on the rise locally, officers are also trying to find solutions to the felony activity throughout the valley.

Ronan has the highest per capita crime rate in the state and twice as high as the average United States cities, according to FBI statistics.

“Levels of prescription and methamphetamine drug abuse within the reservation are at an all-time high,” Fiddler said. “Although we are not seeing production so much within the reservation, individuals are traveling out of state with the intent to purchase and distribute methamphetamine and marijuana within the reservation boundaries.”

In an attempt to curb the illegal activity within the surrounding counties, a three-person drug task force was formed to include officers from the CSKT police department, Lake County Sheriff Department, and Polson police department. Law Enforcement investigators conduct frequent flyovers to detect growth and production operations and depend on confidential informants to provide tips and information on illegal activity.

“Citizens comment that they don’t see officers on the street,” Fiddler said. “With only 19 tribal officers that are spread throughout three counties, effective coverage is difficult.”

Respective elected officials from the CSKT, Saint Ignatius, Ronan and sheriff’s departments have slashed their police department budgets, that forced Fiddler and his colleagues to look for grants to assist in hiring and training of more officers, he said.

“It takes a person of certain mental and physical abilities to be able to handle the responsibilities this job entails,” Fiddler said. “The selection and training process is time consuming.”

Tribal police officials are asking tribal counsel to use an outside agency to study crime on the reservation and surrounding counties and provide a detailed report that could indicate proper staffing levels, Fiddler said.

Law enforcement officials hope to use the report to secure additional funding required to keep more boots on the ground, he said.

“We recognize that response times are not where members of the community would like them to be.” said Fiddler. “We strive to send an officer to every disturbance and every call, but with the travel times from one disturbance or emergency to another, it’s just not possible.”

Attempts to contact Tribal council members were unsuccessful.