Polson Emergency services deserve praise
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In recent meetings, the City Commission was given updates by Polson Fire Department Chief Clint Cottle and Polson Police Department Chief Wade Nash. Although I have always had a deep respect for our leaders, after hearing the status of their departments, I have an even greater appreciation for the work they and their teams do each day throughout the year.
Chief Cottle reported that he has recently implemented a new reporting system that is not only significantly easier to input and file information, but it will serve the citizens better, as well, if documentation and information is ever needed for insurance purposes. Additionally, this will help us to better track where and when occurrences are taking place so we can ensure we have the proper coverage when needed.
We also learned that the department is faced with significant fire apparatus improvements and needs, as well. Chief Cottle is in the process of fully assessing our needs, and will be providing information to the City Commission in coming months.
I was also encouraged that since the first of the year we have had two new firefighters join the team, and I understand we have a couple more waiting to move forward in the process. Overall, we have a strong and experienced team to provide fire service coverage to the citizens of Polson.
On the police side of things, Chief Nash has been hiring new officers to fill vacancies in the past several months. Three of those vacancies were due to officers heading to new endeavors, and one very significant loss was with the passing of Officer William Cleveland. The struggles of the past year have been challenging for the department, but have also knit them closer together. Chief Nash has been fortunate to acquire some highly qualified officers who were able to begin contributing to our team right from the start.
As many of you may have read in the papers or heard in the news, there have been several news stories that reflect Polson as significantly crime-ridden and dangerous. Although we can certainly appreciate that we have our challenges – very serious ones – we are skeptical of the data that was used to complete these analytics.
There were, however, approximately 8,000 calls of police service from the community in 2015. There were some categories that had decreased calls, and others that had increased calls. One of the most notable involvements this past year was the international child pornography case where 21 people were convicted. The City of Polson Police Department assisted the FBI and other state agencies in completing a case that started in 2012.
One of those serious challenges I mentioned earlier include the significant use of drugs in our community. I don’t believe we are alone here, but our Polson Police Department is taking a proactive approach by placing an emphasis on our Drug Task Force. In 2015 the total value of street drugs seized was $4,358,200. These drugs included cocaine, meth, marijuana, opiates, heroin, mushrooms, hash and hash oil. Our hope is that as the Task Force continues its efforts, these numbers will go down as more of the dealers determine that Polson is not welcoming them.
We are very proud of our emergency services departments within the City of Polson. We have strong leadership with Chief Cottle and Chief Nash, we have loyal and hard-working teams, and we offer our community professional, skilled and committed departments to provide emergency services.
I want to thank all of the officers, volunteers, support staff – and family of all of those folks – for a job well done. We appreciate and are proud of you.
