'Whac-A-Mole': Regional cops brief Gianforte about drugs and crime in southwest Montana

Montana’s cultural heritage includes the mule-headed stubbornness that motivated hazardous cross-country moves by many early European-American settlers and helped them survive.

Similarly, barrooms served historically as both watering holes and key sources of social interaction in a wide, wild landscape. They still do.

On Tuesday, Montana Highway Patrol Capt. Dave Oliverson mentioned those cultural influences during a roundtable discussion in Butte with Gov. Greg Gianforte.

“Obviously, we don’t like to be told what to do,” Oliverson said of Montanans. “There’s a huge drinking culture here in Montana that I think needs to shift before we can see any real positive results for DUI [efforts].”

He and five other officers who met with Gianforte on Tuesday at the Butte Justice Center responded to questions from the governor about how the state could serve their needs.

Both Sheriff David Wendt of Beaverhead County and Oliverson described concerns about the impacts of recreational marijuana.

“Pretty much all of our DUIs that end up being alcohol also end up having marijuana on board,” Oliverson said. “It’s alcohol and marijuana both. Most of our fatalities now have some traces of marijuana in their systems.”

Wendt said the marijuana sold legally today is much more potent than in years past.

Oliverson said he would like to see efforts to educate the public about the potential hazards of driving under the influence of marijuana.

Other regional officers who participated in the roundtable included Ian Ternes, jail commander and deputy in Beaverhead County; Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Police Chief Bill Sather; Butte-Silver Bow County Sheriff Ed Lester; and Powell County Sheriff Gavin Roselles.

Gianforte asked the men about their concerns and needs.

“I’d love to hear what you’re seeing and any suggestions you have,” he said. “We’re getting prepared now for the 2027 session.”

As Gianforte suspected, a lot of what law enforcement is seeing is tied to illegal drugs.

Lester described what police are encountering in Butte-Silver Bow.

“You know, fentanyl is big, but I think meth is still every bit as prevalent as it has been, and fentanyl is a very close second in this community right now,” he said.

Lester said prices are up for both of those drugs because busts by the regional drug task force have affected supply.

“But we also know that when we take people out, other people are going to step up because of the fact that it’s just extremely profitable — a high-risk, high-reward type business,” he said.

Wendt and Lester agreed that drugs and alcohol intoxication or addiction-related behaviors play a role in probably 90% of the crime with which their communities cope.

“If it’s not drugs and alcohol, generally speaking, it’s a mental health-type situation,” Lester said. “And a lot of times those are co-occurring, so they’re using street narcotics or street drugs to self-medicate mental health issues.”

Sather said the regional drug task force helps but observed, as Lester had, that enforcement becomes a bit like a game of Whac-A-Mole as new dealers emerge.

“We’re chasing our tail,” he said.

Ternes briefed Gianforte on the dilemma faced when inmates lose Medicaid by state statute when jailed and have medical needs that often require Beaverhead County taxpayers to end up paying for interventions.

Ternes said an inmate has four months to pay their medical bills and failure to do so sticks Beaverhead County with the bill.

“We become responsible after the 120 days,” he said.

Gianforte said he will investigate.

Roselles described a wish for the upcoming legislative session.

“I’d like to see the Legislature be able to step up and help our law enforcement officers with their mental health,” he said.

Gianforte said the state is working to respond to the needs of local law enforcement.

He highlighted state investments in public safety and law enforcement. Last year, working with the Legislature, Gianforte secured $150 million in one-time-only funding to expand capacity at the Montana State Prison. Last year, the governor helped break ground on an expansion project at the prison designed to relieve overcrowding in county jails.

The governor also discussed ongoing efforts and investments to combat addiction and support behavioral health services across Montana.

Meanwhile, participants talked about the importance of the coordination among local, state and federal law enforcement agencies that ultimately led to the capture in August of suspected Owl Bar killer Michael Paul Brown.

“We saw amazing collaboration with that,” Oliverson said.

Gianforte thanked the officers for their service and dedication.

He had proclaimed the period beginning May 10 as Police Week in Montana and May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day.

The governor asked the officers assembled Tuesday what they had planned for Police Week.

“Work,” Sather said, smiling. “The criminals don’t follow that week.”