HomeMy WebLinkAbout18- 2017 Annual Report - Police Department2017 ANNUAL REPORT
Our mission is to keep the most livable place
through public safety and community partnerships.
On behalf of the officers and staff of the Bozeman Police Department, it is my honor to
present the department’s 2017 Annual Report.
In 2017, Bozeman continued to be a very safe place to work, play and live and had the
lowest crime rate amongst the large cities in Montana. We saw some crime categories
increase and saw a decrease in others.
Recruiting, hiring and retention remained a big focus this year, as well as implementing
a new radio communications system and records management system in collaboration
with Gallatin County which will continue into 2018. The vast improvement in radio
communications has dramatically improved officer safety and has directly increased the
safety of the public as well.
We continued to stay engaged with our community with day to day positive contacts by
the officers on the street as well as a number of community programs including our annual
Citizen’s Police Academy, Coffee with a Cop, Community Resource Officer, and our Law
Enforcement Explorer program.
In closing, we remain committed to delivering best practice police services and
proactively partnering with community members to address public safety issues and
working to keep Bozeman The Most Livable Place.
Sincerely,
Chief Steve Crawford
POLICE CHIEF’S MESSAGE
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150 137.38
124.90 120.07 116.78 112.70
98.69
82.30
2017 Crime Rate Per 1000 People
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CRIME RATE
In 2017, Bozeman continued to maintain a high level of public safety with the lowest crime rate
amongst other large cities in the state.
STATISTICS
ACTIVITY 2016 2017
Traffic Stops 9,083 7,675
Subject Stops 1,591 1,181
Misdemeanor Citations 6,450 4,940
Motor Vehicle Crashes 1,637 1,958
Animal Complaints 2,005 1,746
Public Assist 1,988 1,900
Disturbances 1,699 1,865
Assaults 209 224
Domestic Disturbance 335 336
Rape 51 41
Trespass 918 869
Vandalism 530 431
Theft 1,401 1,268
Motor Vehicle Theft 172 179
Burglary 132 90
Formal Criminal Reports 5,373 5,085
Total Arrests 2,377 2,314
DUI Arrests 439 384
Total Calls for Service 50,359 47,136
STATISTICS
POLICE CALLS FOR SERVICE
A call for service can mean a 5-minute interaction with a citizen with one officer, or hundreds of
hours of time spent with multiple officers.
PATROL DIVISION
Patrol is staffed with four shifts that provide 24 hour police services everyday of the year.
Officers are deployed in three different beats to provide proactive and responsive service
to keep Bozeman “the Most Livable Place.” The Patrol Division responds to a wide
variety of calls for service from the public. When not handling these calls, officers conduct
proactive patrols to identify and prevent criminal activity, change driving behavior, conduct
property checks as well as daily community engagement and education opportunities.
When emergencies occur, our patrol officers are the first to respond to the domestic
disturbances, thefts, trespasses, assaults, traffic crashes, and many other types of calls.
The 36 Officers assigned to the Patrol Division are highly trained and provide many
specialized services including Mountain Bike Patrol, K9 Unit, Crisis Intervention Team,
Crash Investigation, and Drug Recognition Experts. For their actions in 2017, 9 members
of the Patrol Division were awarded the Life Saving Award, having directly contributed to
saving several lives. 3 members received awards for Valor for their actions is safely de-
escalating an armed and suicidal subject.
The Patrol Division is supported by a civilian Crash Investigator who provides prompt
attention to crashes that occur, handling about 32% of the crashes we respond to. The
division is also supported by an information specialist who assists the public with requests,
helps officers conduct investigations, and performs other administrative duties.
SUPPORT SERVICES DIVISION
The goals of the Support Services Division are to support the patrol and detective divisions, to
increase the quality of life of the citizens of Bozeman, and to encourage and promote positive
interaction between the department and the community. In order to meet these goals, the
division is staffed by a police captain, a police sergeant, a police officer serving as a Community
Resource Officer, a full-time and a part-time animal control officer, a full-time and a seasonal
code compliance officer, a fleet maintenance coordinator, a police information specialist, and
several volunteers. These staff members performs numerous functions, including equipment
and vehicle purchasing and maintenance, officer hiring, departmental training, managing public
relations events and activities, maintaining the website and social media sites, animal control
education and enforcement, code compliance efforts, and a wide variety of other tasks. This
division is located at our substation at 30 North Rouse.
DETECTIVE DIVISION
The Detective Division investigates felonies and complex misdemeanor crimes. The
Division is home to 1 Sergeant who oversees the work of the 5 general detectives, 4
School Resource Officers, 2 Drug Task Force Officers, 1 Internet Crimes Against Children
(ICAC) Detective as well as the Evidence Technician and the newly created Digital Forensic
Evidence Technician.
Detectives receive specialized training in crimes against children and sexual assault
investigations. The continued community team approach to these crimes offers a safe place for
victims to make reports to law enforcement, helping them find healing and justice from these
traumatic events.
Detectives maintain a full time Montana Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC)
investigator. This program helps state and local law enforcement work together to educate the
public, investigate cases and arrest those who use computers to exploit children.
The division assigns two investigators to the Missouri River Drug Task Force (MRDTF)
whose focus is primarily drug trafficking and manufacturing crimes. MRDTF opened 154
new cases in 2017, made 138 arrests, and gave 38 public talks regarding drugs.
The General Detectives specialize in sexual assault, crimes against children, robbery,
domestic violence, burglary, forgery and elder abuse. These Detectives opened 369 new cases
in 2017. These included 151 Crimes Against Persons (93 of these were sex crimes), and 158
Property Crimes (112 Thefts, 12 Forgeries and 12 Burglaries).
Our School Resource Officers work with school administrators to develop good
relationships and provide students a safe place to learn.
STAFFING
By working together, the sworn officers and civilian staff of the Bozeman Police Department are
better able to serve the needs of our community. During 2017, we continued working toward
our goals of transferring appropriate tasks and duties to civilian staff and of filling our sworn officer
positions. We also completed a staffing analysis which will be used to provide direction regarding
future staffing needs.
CIVILIAN STAFFING
We had 10 civilian positions in 2017. We hired two new civilian staff members to replace
vacancies and we hired another staff member as our new Digital Forensic Analyst. Our
civilian positions include:
2 Police Information Specialists
1 Police Information Manager
1 Evidence Technician
1.5 Animal Control Officers
1 Fleet Maintenance Specialist
1 Code Compliance Officer
1 Crash Investigator
1 Digital Forensic Analyst
1 Full-time Volunteer
SWORN POLICE OFFICER STAFFING
During 2017, we hired 6 new patrol officers to fill recent vacancies, which required holding 3
hiring processes. At the end of 2017, we had 4 vacant officer positions. During 2017, our 65
authorized officers filled the following positions:
5 Command Officers
10 Detectives/Sergeant
4 School Resource Officers
2 Training/Operation Sergeants
1 Community Resource Officer
6 Patrol Sergeants
37 Patrol Officers
PARTNERSHIPS
Having strong partnerships with other law enforcement agencies, governmental departments,
and public service organizations is critical to our success.
During 2017, we worked closely with numerous other federal and local law enforcement
agencies, including a combined Special Response Team with the Gallatin County Sheriff’s
Office, drug interdiction efforts as part of the regional Missouri River Drug Task Force, and
increased cooperation with the MSU Police Department.
Within the City of Bozeman, we worked extensively with Community Development regarding
the Code Compliance Program, Bozeman Fire on daily calls for services, the Bozeman Library
regarding collaboratively solving issues and community engagement, and the City Attorney’s
office on criminal cases.
Within the community, we are consistently involved with the Sexual Assault Response Team
(SART), Domestic Violence Response Team (DVRT), mental health services, The Human
Resource Development Council (HRDC), Bozeman Deaconess Hospital, the DUI Task Force,
Bozeman School District 7, and numerous others.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
The Bozeman Police Department recognizes that it is vital to interact positively with the
community. During 2017, we held the 10th session of our ongoing Citizen’s Police Academy.
A National Night Out Against Crime event was held in August. We hosted “Coffee with a
Cop” events, held a “Shop With a Cop” event, and participated in the Polar Plunge, Tip-a-Cop,
and Law Enforcement Torch Run. We continued our Explorer post for youth interested in
law enforcement and our volunteer continued assisting us. The department also maintained
a booth with giveaways, information, and games at Music on Main, the Farmer’s Market, the
Christmas Stroll, Kidabaloo, Bobcat Fest, and many other area events. We also gave numerous
talks and presentations, provided “Run, Lock, Fight” training, participated in parades and drug
take-back efforts, and gave patrol “ride-alongs” and department tours.
We also recognize the importance of providing ongoing information and education to our
community. Facebook, Instragram, and Twitter were consistently used in 2017. Media
interviews and press releases provided case-specific information and education. In addition,
weekly crime updates were posted and sent to the media, and a Crime Mapping tool was
maintained on our website.
OUR
MISSION
is to keep BozemanMT
the most livable place through
public safety and community partnerships
Leadership
in the community that is proactive and innovative
Integrity
at all times with transparency and accountability
Teamwork
that promotes collaboration and leads to success
Service
above self that is personal, prompt, and respectful
OUR
VALUES
CORE VALUES
BOZEMAN POLICE DEPARTMENT
615 S. 16th Ave.
Bozeman, Montana 59715
(406) 582-2000 • Fax (406) 582-2002