Great Falls, Montana - Police

Police

The Great Falls Police Department is the municipal law enforcement agency. The GFPD has 82 sworn men and women and 37 civilian supportive staff.

The patrol division consists of 49 officers. There are four shifts. In 2005 the officers responded to 32,823 calls. There are three patrol teams, and each consist of a Lieutenant, two sergeants, and ten officers. There are two canines on the GFPD force, K-9 Kelly and K-9 Rhingo. Both dogs are from Holland. Officers LaBard and Green are the dogs' owners. The dogs specialize in drug detection and suspect apprehension. Bike patrol consists of four officers and they mainly patrol the downtown section of the city. They volunteer to patrol on mountain bikes. HRU is a SWAT team which is trained to handle dangerous situations. The candidates take on rigorous tasks.

The GFPD was established in 1888. George E. Huy was the first police chief. At that time the department had two officers. The officers did not wear uniforms so they used plain clothes. The department got automobiles in 1914, and two-way radios in 1940, then computers in 1970. Now the department has 82 officers and 65 cars.

The current police chief is David Bowen.

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