Behind the Badge With Bozeman’s Police Chief

"Talk to the Bozeman Police" is a new Wednesday segment on Dominick In The Morning that features law enforcement officers who talk about what's happening in our city. But it goes beyond that. We see the human side of the people who put their lives on the line for us.

Police Chief Steve Crawford visited this morning. We talked about crime, and it seems most crime in Bozeman is somehow drug-related. I was also happy to find out things are pretty safe here. Crawford told me there is not a lot of crime here, but I should still lock my door at night.

We talked about how someone becomes a cop. The background checks for people who are thinking about getting into law enforcement are very important. They try to make sure the new guy or gal is becoming a cop for the right reasons.

Why did Police Chief Crawford go into law enforcement? He says he was a Boy Scout and soon figured out he wanted to help others. The best way to do it, he thought, was as a police officer. He went to school here in Bozeman and realized this was the place he wanted to work and lay down roots.

Chief Crawford never expected he would become Bozeman's top cop. He is working on updating the way police communicate with each other. Presently, the Bozeman Police use carrier pigeons to send messages back and forth between them. The cost of bird seed is going up...just kidding. A new walkie talkie system will soon be used by all Bozema police.

Gangs in Bozeman? Not really a big thing yet, but as we grow, who knows. Chief Crawford will be keeping an eye out and hopefully the growth in Bozeman will not include crime.

What are Chief Crawford's plans for the future? Politics? Maybe Governor or Senator Crawford? Nope, he loves what he is doing.

Dominick