Above the Noise

I want to speak directly to the citizens of Gallatin County. We are witnessing a dangerous trend in public activity. Yesterday, a Sheriff’s Office Captain pulled over a vehicle in his issued, unmarked, police vehicle. He wore his issued Sheriff’s Office vest with clear and unobstructed markings that said SHERIFF. He pulled the driver over for reckless driving and the contact went without incident. However, shortly thereafter, there were social media posts stating ICE had pulled someone over while describing this Captain’s vehicle and time of traffic stop. This is not the first time we have seen reports that are false and misleading.

These reports are an attempt to create fear and chaos within our community and they are patently false.  Our local Law Enforcement Officers are well trained; they conduct themselves with professionalism and they are dedicated to preserving the quality of life here in Gallatin County. If agitators or obstructionists attempt to interfere with lawful law enforcement operations, there will be criminal consequences for those doing so. Vigilantism is not an acceptable form of intervention and won’t be tolerated in this community.

I have no doubt the media and social media will be directing your attention to the Missouri River Drug Task Force (MRDTF). The Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office has commanded MRDTF since the early 1990’s.  The mission of the Missouri River Drug Task Force is to provide a collaborative federal, state and local law enforcement effort to identify, target, and address those involved in drug trafficking, manufacturing, and violence. Their sole focus is to identify those criminals distributing and manufacturing large quantities of illegal drugs. These cases can take months to build as they track down those selling high quantities of drugs and distributing them here in Gallatin County and surrounding areas. We will continue using every resource available to identify, locate and arrest these individuals. We will continue to make sure our community members are protected from this scourge of the population. If we have cartel members, gang members, local residents, legal residents, illegal residents or anyone else selling, stealing property, and/or committing acts of violence, we will use the resources available to arrest them and remove them from our neighborhoods.

This should not be controversial and to believe otherwise is irrational and damaging to our community. The Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office is committed to a high level of professionalism when carrying out our investigations and our local, state and federal parters are expected to conduct themselves with the same level of professionalism in our community. This is why we engage in agreements to define the framework of their actions while they are working here. Partnering in this way, ensures an avenue of communication with their supervisors and agency heads if their behaviors aren’t aligned with our expectations. All my deputies are aware of my expectation they will “Engage non-standard actions immediately”. This means we will step in and engage if we see anyone acting in a manner not appropriate to the profession. Your Sheriff’s Office and I, as your Sheriff will continue to do the Right thing, at the Right time for the Right reasons.