Business booming for Libby police
by Brent Shrum, Kootenai Valley Record
September 16, 2010
The local economy may be struggling, but business is booming for the Libby Police Department, says Chief Jim Smith.
The number of cases handled by the department annually has shot up from fewer than 2,000 in 2005 to more than 3,000 in each of the past four years. Already in 2010, the department is closing in on the 3,000-case mark, Smith said.
Those cases run the gamut from city weed and parking ordinance violations to vandalism, assaults and robberies.
"I’m attributing a lot of those calls to proactive police work," Smith said.
In 2005, then-Chief Clay Coker instituted a policy calling for a proactive approach to law enforcement, Smith said. That means that officers are expected to actively patrol and look for violations rather than waiting for calls from the dispatcher.
Tough economic times also lead to an increase in crime, along with alcohol and drug abuse. While methamphetamine use seems to have declined over the past few years, prescription drug abuse has "gone through the roof," Smith said.
Drug abuse leads to crimes like burglary, theft and robbery when those addicted are looking for a way to feed their habit, Smith said.
After a period of high turnover, the department is now fully staffed with six full-time officers along with a seventh part-time officer, Smith said. One of the full-time positions and the part-time position are made possible by grant funding.
The full roster has allowed for more time to be spent patrolling and making routine checks like the one that caught vandals in the act at Libby High School earlier this year, Smith said.
As new hires have completed their training, the number of arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol has spiked, Smith said. Officers need to be certified in conducting DUI investigations and handling evidence, he said, and their training has combined with the department’s proactive enforcement policy and the additional patrolling time made possible by additional staffing to take more drunk drivers off the street.
Drivers who are sober but careless should also beware, Smith said. The department is increasing the time spent on traffic enforcement and is taking a close look at the newly paved streets at Cabinet Heights in the wake of numerous complaints about unsafe driving in that area. A policy of "no tolerance traffic enforcement" is now in place for Cabinet Heights, Smith said.
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Editor’s Note: See the September 14, 2010 edition of the Kootenai Valley Record for the printed version of this story. The Kootenai Valley Record publishes once a week, on Tuesdays, in Libby, Montana. They are a locally owned community newspaper, located at 403 Mineral Avenue in Libby. For in-county and out-of-county subscription information, call 406-293-2424, or e-mail kvrecord@gmail.com.
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