Governor Gianforte Convenes Public Safety Roundtable in Bozeman

BOZEMAN, Mont. – Continuing a series of meetings across the state about public safety, Governor Greg Gianforte today convened a roundtable discussion in Bozeman to hear from local officials, law enforcement officers, and treatment providers serving one of Montana’s fastest growing counties.

“Across the state and here in Bozeman, our community partners are confronting new and emerging challenges with population growth and criminals trafficking deadly drugs into our communities,” Governor Gianforte said. “Building a safer, stronger Montana will take investments from the state and its local partners, and I’m proud our Budget for Montana Families delivers on that.”

With the pandemic triggering a rise in drug-related and violent crime nationwide and in Montana, the governor has been focused on cracking down on criminals and increasing Montanans’ access to recovery and treatment programs.

In his first week in office, the governor proposed the HEART Fund (Healing and Ending Addiction through Recovery and Treatment) to increase access to community-based treatment services for non-violent offenders. The governor’s Budget for Montana Families, which was released in mid-November, boosts funding for the HEART Fund by 50 percent.

The governor also introduced the Angel Initiative. A collaborative effort among Governor Gianforte, DPHHS, participating law enforcement entities, and treatment providers, the Angel Initiative allows someone who is struggling with addiction and substance use to go into any participating law enforcement office and receive assistance to get connected with treatment.

Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer is one of the state’s Angel Initiative partners.

Speaking to the increase in demand for services in Gallatin County, Springer said, “Any time you have growth at the level we’ve had, you bring in drugs, you bring in alcohol, and you have domestic issues.”

On drugs, Sheriff Springer pointed to the southern border. “The growth we’ve seen in drugs in the last two years, three years, can be tracked directly back to the border,” the sheriff said.

To combat crime and keep drugs out of Montana communities, the governor worked with Attorney General Austin Knudsen to fund 16 new highway patrol officers and criminal investigators, as well as six new prosecutors at the Montana Department of Justice, in his budget.

The criminal investigation agents will focus on drug trafficking, human trafficking, narcotics, major crimes, and crimes against children. The new highway patrol officers will strengthen the state’s drug interdiction programs.

According to the Montana Department of Justice, anti-drug task forces have seized twice as much fentanyl through September 30 of this year than they did the last four years combined.

Participants in the roundtable included Department of Corrections Director Brian Gootkin, Gallatin County Attorney Audrey Cromwell, Bozeman City Attorney Greg Sullivan, Chief of Police Jim Veltkamp, Sheriff Dan Springer, Eighth Judicial District Court Judge Andy Breuner, Bozeman Mayor Cyndy Andrus, and Ron Conway and Isaac Coy from the Department of Public Health and Human Services.

Since the beginning of the year, Gov. Gianforte has held roundtable discussions on public safety in Big Timber, Billings, Butte, Great Falls, Kalispell, and Missoula.