St. Ignatius police chief builds relationships

By TRIP BURNS

Lake County Leader

Wandering dogs and a meth problem are big concerns for the people in St. Ignatius, according to the new police chief.

St. Ignatius doubled its police force and gained a new police chief this past month. Doubling the police presence wasn’t too difficult since there was only one police officer working part-time on the weekends. On Wednesday night, citizens from around the St. Ignatius area gathered at the Old Timer’s Café in St. Ignatius to meet Matthew Connelly, the town’s new full-time police officer and police chief.

People braved the heat and gathered outside. They sat at wooden picnic tables to have a word with Connelly.

“It seems like a relief here to some people having a full time law enforcement officer,” Connelly said.

St. Ignatius has been without a full-time police officer for over a year, Connelly was told. During that time, there citizens were reporting many break-ins, as well as people driving very fast in and around town. The crimes, although non-violent, created a backlog of police reports that were being neglected or unfinished due to the heavy workload.

The Lake County Sheriff’s department and the Tribal Police are in the area and do respond to calls, Connelly said, but they have a larger area to deal with than just the city of St. Ignatius.

Connelly saw an advertisement in a newspaper announcing the position of new police chief. He applied in February, cleared background checks and other logistical and safety concerns, and was hired three months later. He was sworn in as police chief in the middle of May. He’s been on the ground in St. Ignatius, cruising the streets, responding to calls, and making his presence known ever since.

Connelly has been in law enforcement since 2001, and is from Glacier County. He worked in Browning. “Browning has 99 percent more crime than St. Ignatius,” he said. “It was a real busy time. I learned a lot there as a cop.”

Connelly’s experience also extends to other reservations, too. He worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs for over four years, and then worked for the Glacier County Sheriff’s department. He spoke highly of the agency, but he had to leave for “stress reasons.” He had to pull his weapon many times while working up there, but believes his tools of the trade should not be limited to guns.

“The best weapon a cop has is his mouth and his mind,” he said.

Connelly hopes to extend the goodwill he’s received from the citizens of St. Ignatius and the city itself. “I love it,” he said. “I’ve never met a more nice group of people.” He sees a lot of concerned citizens on a day-to-day basis. “They care very much for the community,” he said.

St. Ignatius’ city limits are inside the Flathead Indian Reservation, and Connelly has met with several officers while being on the job. He says they’ve been very helpful in letting him know the ins and outs of the reservation patrol, offering help when needed.

“I’ve had situations where I’ve had to deal with members of the tribe,” he said. “So I’ve had to call the tribal officers.”

Connelly holds a certain type of jurisdiction in St. Ignatius over tribal members, including traffic and speeding offenses. Criminal charges to an individual must come from tribal officers.

“If it’s something they need to be arrested for,” he said, “I call a tribal unit.”

After a few weeks on the job, Connelly believes he understands the biggest worry in St. Ignatius.

“The more and more I work here and get to know the people,” he said. “Their biggest concern is meth.” Methamphetamine users pose a problem and risk not just to St. Ignatius, but to Lake County and the Flathead Reservation.

Another big concern people have brought to his attention is wandering dogs in the city limits. St. Ignatius has a leash law, which means all dogs not enclosed in a fence or yard must have a leash on at all times.

People have told Connelly that the wandering dogs in the city might come from elsewhere. He said many people have told him they think people will drive from some other town and drop off dogs on U.S. Highway 93 in the middle of the night, and the dogs wander into town.

For now, Connelly will address these problems with the help of another officer who is part-time. However, the city is in talks to add another full-time officer to Connelly’s department, budget permitting. He said he’s spoken to mayor Charley Gariepy about the possibility, but nothing has been promised.

Gariepy was among the people in attendance to the meet and greet at the Old Timer’s Café on Wednesday night. He sat off to the side, mingling with people, and listening to Connelly as he spoke to citizens. Gariepy is pleased with the new police chief and happy that the city of St. Ignatius has some new attention being placed on the streets.

“It’s great to have someone again,” he said.