*Editor’s note: This is the second in a two part series chron-icling the proud 75 year history of the Montana HighwayPatrol. This second segment covers 1989 through 2010.

In 1989, Attorney General Marc Racicot took office, andColonel Robert Griffith was promoted to chief administra-tor of the Patrol. The retired patrolmen’s association mergedwith the AMHP. Montanans enjoyed a 40 year traffic fatal-ity low with 181 fatalities. In May, the AMHP initiated ascholarship program for member’s children. InApril, Officer Mary Pat Murphy was woundedby a suspect driver who had shot and killedhis passenger on US Highway 87 North, northof Great Falls. While she eventually returnedto duty, her injuries later forced her earlydisability retirement several years later. InOctober, the Patrol began to convert froma Smith & Wesson model 28 or “HighwayPatrolman” .357 caliber blued revolverto the Smith & Wesson model 59039mm caliber stainless steel semi-automaticpistol. The .357 had a capacity of sixrounds with two reloads, while the 9mm had fifteen roundmagazines with two reloads. The Patrol’s FTO program con-tinued to evolve. White Dodge patrol cars were again issued.On October 24, Janet Baker became the first female sergeantin Highway Patrol history, being assigned to Glendive, thenBillings. Captain Davis was no longer the commander ofthe APU, and Sergeant Frank Stevison took over.

In 1990, the AMHP’s Mon-tana Hope Project became inde-pendent of the AMHP. Thehighway death toll rose to 212,and the Patrol began to adoptmilitary surplus M-14 .308 cal-iber rifles for voluntary useby its officers after the .30-30 caliber rifle was dropped

in 1983. White Chevrolet Caprice patrol cars were beingdriven. The 30th academy washeld and graduated the last ofthe cadets.

In 1991, a light blue Chevro-let Caprice was driven and therewas a decline in highway deathsto 200. Early in the year, patrolofficers went on strike over

pay issues. Ultimately, the strike lasted less than a week,with the legislature offering a pay increase. On December19, Officer Shawn Driscoll was involved in a shooting witha bank robbery suspect near Missoula. The suspect firedmultiple rounds at Officer Driscoll from an assault rifle, andOfficer Driscoll returned fire with his 9mm pistol, fatallyinjuring the suspect. Officer Driscoll was subsequently award-ed the Medal of Valor for his actions that day.

In 1992, light blue Chevrolet Caprice patrol cars wereagain issued, and Officer Shawn Driscoll became

one of the first officers to have a video camerainstalled in his patrol car, purchased at his

own expense. Local DUI Task Forceorganizations also began purchasing

cameras for officers to documenttheir cases. Officer Francine Giono

was wounded and killed her assailant ina shooting while working as a part of theAPU near Missoula. Sergeant Frank Stevi-son was no longer the APU commander, with

Sergeant Larry Strickland taking over.In 1993, a green

Ford Crown Victoria was dri-ven. Attorney General JosephMazurek took office on Janu-ary 4, and Colonel Robert Grif-fith continued as the chief ofthe Montana Highway Patrol.There were 194 traffic fatal-ities, and the “Little Convin-cer” seat belt awareness program was implemented.

In 1994, a dark blue Chevro-let Caprice with the LT1 Corvetteengine, a favorite amongst manyofficers, was driven. WithColonel Robert Griffith’s retire-ment on March 31, 1994, ColonelCraig Reap assumed the topposition in the Patrol. Therewere 202 traffic fatalities, and

there were an estimated 165 patrol officers, 21 sergeants, 4lieutenants, and 5 captains in five districts (Missoula, GreatFalls, Butte, Billings, and Glendive). A micro computer sys-tem was used in accident records to compile crash data, localarea networks were installed in two district offices, the MHPactivity system was redesigned, computer aided dispatch wasbecoming a reality, and head-

Montana Highway Patrol celebrates 75 years of service,

1935-2010

Montana Trooper

MONTANA TROOPER 9

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1990 Chevrolet Caprice.

1991 Chevrolet Caprice.

1994 Chevrolet Caprice.

1993 Ford Crown Victoria.

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quarters had twenty-two support staff.Officers received new Second ChanceMonarch body armor. The aviation pro-gram, which had been ongoing since1983 with Officer Randy Yaeger as thepilot, moved its Cessna 182 RG fixedwing aircraft to a new hangar at the Hele-na airport. At the time of the move, therewas also a proposal for a Patrol helicopter.The 33rd recruit academy was held onceagain at Fort Harrison near Helena, with25 graduates. Officers John Stewart andJeff Mount each received the Medal ofValor for separate incidents. In May,Officer Pete Richardson began to planfor the Patrol’s Honor Guard, whichbecame a reality in October, staffed byten officers from the AMHP’s member-ship and sponsored by the AMHP. Alsoin October, Stop Sticks were first pur-chased and distributed to officers in aneffort to help curb high speed pursuits.In December, the Patrol’s eight full timemotor vehicle inspectors each receivedlap top computers for field use. SergeantJanet Baker was promoted to lieutenanton October 29 and was stationed in Butte,then Billings.

In 1995, black Ford Crown Victoriapatrol cars with white roofs and door pil-lars and a new striping design to match

the current issue license plate were dri-ven. In addition, one Dodge Intrepid wasdriven by Officer Tom Butler in Helena.Replacement badges read Patrol Officer.The Patrol began buying in car video cam-eras in large numbers, equipping approx-imately 1/3 of its fleet in May. The 1995legislature authorized a memorial to allfallen Montana law enforcement officerson the capitol grounds, and Officer TomButler spearheaded this project. Thecrash report system, which had previ-ously been a three part carbonless white,yellow, and pink form in use since 1972,was revamped as the Montana AccidentInvestigators Report, a one part form.Officers underwent training in the Free-man and Militia movements gainingmomentum in Montana and across thecountry. In May, the Patrol celebratedits 60th anniversary, and the televisionseries Real Stories of the Highway Patrolfilmed numerous reenactments involv-ing Montana Highway Patrol officers.The 34th recruit academy was held atMLEA in Bozeman. In November, thePatrol saw its first increase in manpow-er since 1973, with federal funding of tennew officers, boosting the number from202 to 212. In December, Montana revert-ed to the “basic rule” to manage daytime

speeds on the highways, as the fuel con-servation limit of 55 mph on the two lanehighways and the 65 mph speed limit oninterstate highways was lifted. The con-servation limits had been in effect since1974. There were 215 fatalities on thehighways, along with 1.2 radio trans-missions with three dispatch centers inMissoula, Helena, and Billings. With 24hour dispatch coverage, there were 29full time personnel, 170,000 phone calls,and 50,000 incidents. These transmis-sions were received from 238 vehiclesand 64 remote repeater sites, managedby two full time radio technicians. In aneffort to reduce upper management posi-tions and bolster the number of patrolofficers, Colonel Reap began a plan toeliminate lieutenants or assistant districtcommanders. Lieutenants in districtsthat did not have a communications cen-ter were the first to be eliminated, andas the communications centers were laterconsolidated into one location in Hele-na, those positions were also eliminatedthrough attrition and/or promotion. Offi-cers were working nine hours a day andbeing paid for eight, working six dayweeks which saw them rotate from nightshifts to day shifts in the course of thosesix days, with generally two rotating daysoff following. A typical schedule mighthave an officer working at 1800 hours to0300 the first two days, 1500 to 0000 thethird, 0900 to 1800 the fourth and fifth,and 0700 to 1600 the sixth.

In 1996, there were 198 highwayfatalities, and in February, Patrol offi-cers assisted local and federal law enforce-ment with road blocks and perimetercontrol in a standoff with a group ofFreemen near Jordan. Officers from

Montana Trooper

10 MONTANA TROOPER

1996, Officer Steve Wisniewski.

The MHP's Honor Guard at the Law Enforcement memorial on the capitol grounds on May 15,2009. Photo by Clarke Sutphin.

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around Montana rotated in over 81 days,at which time the standoff ended peace-fully. Since 1978, Patrol headquartershad been located at 303 North Roberts,the Scott Hart building. In March, head-quarters moved to a new location at 2550Prospect Avenue in Helena. The Mon-tana Accident Records System (MARS)was first initiated and was the first com-puterized version of the Montana Acci-dent Investigator’s Report (HQ 1599).The LAN system was also completed,which linked all district offices. In April,a train carrying hazardous materialsderailed near Alberton, which closedInterstate 90 for 17 days and forced theevacuation of 1,500 people from the sur-rounding area. Patrol officers fromaround Montana logged 2,200 hours ofservice in the area over an 18 day peri-od. The Montana Law EnforcementAcademy moved from Bozeman to theformer Mountain View School campusnear Helena in July. The 35th recruitacademy was held at the new MLEAfacility. Black and white Ford CrownVictorias were again issued, but onlythe roof of the car was white, with theremainder black. The previous designhad the roof and all door posts paintedwhite. The graphics remained the same.The Highway Patrol took possession oftwo surplus Department of Defense BellOH-58a helicopters, the military versionof the Jet Ranger, one to be flown, andthe other to be used for parts. The APUwas no longer was a permanent dutystation, but rather one officer per dis-trict was selected to go on rotating, tem-porary duty assignments with the unit,which was commanded by the samesergeant, Larry Strickland.

In 1997, there were an alarming256 fatalities, and the Highway Patrolunveiled its own flag, which was blueand gold. The current shoulder patchadorned the center, with four stars alongthe top, in tribute to our fallen officers.The MHP lost the funding for seven ofthe ten positions gained in 1995, drop-ping the number of officers to 205. Thefleet of patrol cars was now all blackand white, with approximately 1/3 ofthe fleet turned over every year since1995. At that time, most patrol carswere equipped with top mounted emer-

gency lights. Approximately one carper district was equipped as a “slicktop” or with internally mounted emer-gency lights. On August 28, the lawenforcement memorial was dedicatedon the capitol grounds. Just after 2200hours on October 4, Officer Debra Bat-terson was struck by a passing truckwhile conducting a traffic stop on Inter-state 90 in Mineral County. The maledriver from Superior had just reacheddown to pick up a drink and driftedright, striking Officer Batterson and hercar. Sadly, Officer Batterson was unableto return to full-time duty as a patrolofficer due to the injuries she received.On October 25th, Mike Frellick waspromoted from lieutenant in Great Fallsto captain in Missoula.

In 1998, the number of fatalitiesdropped to 237. In January, District 2headquarters moved into the CascadeCounty Regional Detention Center andCorrectional Facility along with the Cas-cade County Sheriff’s Office. District6 in Kalispell was formed on April 1,and the District 4 headquarters in Billingsmoved to a new consolidated officebuilding at 615 A. South 27th Streetalong with other Department of Justicedivisions after previously being houseat the DOT yard at 424 Morey. District3 also gained a new detachment officein Three Forks. In May, the Patrol beganto experiment with and evaluate tenhour shifts for its officers, which were

subsequently dropped. The Patrol alsocompletely phased out the previousWinchester 12 gauge pump shotgun andfully converted to the Remington 870.Black and white Ford Crown Victoriaswere again distributed as patrol cars.On June 28, Officer Tom Hamilton waswounded when he attempted to assistin the capture of 38 year old David Mor-gan, who was wanted for the attempt-ed murder of two deputies from Koote-nai County, Idaho. While Morgan wasevading Ravalli County deputies onHighway 93, Officer Hamilton man-aged to deploy his Stop Sticks and pur-sue the suspect when he bailed fromhis vehicle and hid near a local store.When Officer Hamilton arrived, thesuspect opened fire with a 7mm mag-num rifle. Despite being wounded inthe right arm and side, Officer Hamil-ton was able to take cover and returnfire, eventually wounding Morgan, whowas also armed with a 9mm handgun.Morgan subsequently pled guilty toattempted murder in Montana and wassentenced to the Montana State Prison.Officer Hamilton returned to duty onSeptember 11. The 36th recruit acad-emy was held at MLEA near Helena,and in December the Montana SupremeCourt ruled the “basic rule” as writtenwas unconstitutionally vague. How-ever, the court also reaffirmed the abil-ity of officers to regulate speed usingthe careless and reckless driving statutes.Sergeant Larry Strickland retired, andthe APU ceased formal operations.

In 1999, there were 220 fatalities,and Patrol officers were driving all blackand white vehicles, predominantly FordCrown Victoria Police Interceptors. OneChevrolet Tahoe, a two wheel drive sportutility vehicle, was purchased in June

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MONTANA TROOPER 11

1997 Ford.

1999 Chevrolet Tahoe.

1997 Dodge.

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Montana Trooper

12 MONTANA TROOPER

and assigned to Officer Ed Hilbert, thenOfficer Steve Lavin. The Patrol heli-copter was first used in an official capac-ity to assist in the maintenance of remoterepeater sites. On June 25, Colonel BertObert replaced Colonel Craig Reap asthe Chief Administrator of the Patrol.The legislature responded to the SupremeCourt’s December of 1998 ruling andpassed a numerical speed limit whichtook effect on May 28. The new statuteestablished a 75 mph speed limit on theinterstate, except in urban areas whereit was 65 mph. On two lane highways,the limit was placed at 70 mph duringthe daytime and 65 mph at night, excepton US Highway 93 in western Montanawhere the limit was set at 65 mph dayor night. The legislature also specifi-cally granted Patrol officers a 9% payincrease in an effort to bring Patrol offi-cers closer to the average pay for lawenforcement officers in Montana. Inpast years, Patrol officers’ pay had fall-en below average, and one of the resultswas an inability to recruit and retainnew officers. Officer Randy Owens wasawarded the Medal of Valor for his May21 foot pursuit of a male shooting sus-pect in Pablo (Lake County), in whichthe suspect subsequently fatally shot

himself. The 37th recruit academy washeld at MLEA near Helena. The MARSrover portable computer program wasfully implemented in July, allowing offi-cers to enter crash data on a lap top com-puter. A new District 1 headquarters inMissoula was in the works. In Decem-ber, a new use of force in service train-ing program was implemented whichfocused on weaponless defense andfirearms training.

In 2000, there were 237 fatalities,and in February officers switched froma nine hour work day to an eight hourwork day. Officers had previously beengranted two twenty minute breaks alongwith a one hour unpaid lunch hour,encompassing a total nine hour shift.The new eight hour shift consisted ofonly one 45 minute paid lunch break,encompassing a total eight hour shift.Officers were mostly assigned FordCrown Victoria patrol vehicles, but sixfront wheel drive Chevrolet Impalaswere also purchased, which requirednew patrol vehicle operations trainingfor those officers. The Chevrolets hadthe same black and white color schemeand striping but lacked the door crestor patch. The number of “slick top”cars was increased to approximately

one per detachment. The PR-24 sidehandle baton was still in use, but offi-cers were authorized to carry an ASPexpandable baton also, if the officerreceived training and purchased thenew baton at his or her own expense.The 38th recruit academy was held atMLEA near Helena. 60% of the Patrolhad less than ten years of service. Since1974, Montana had a 25% increase inpopulation, and vehicle registrationswere up 33%. District 7 in Belgradewas established on November 1, whichwas housed in the new Belgrade CityHall. District 1 in Missoula moved intoa new facility, and Detachment 424 wasadded in Billings. The Rainbow Fami-ly gathered in District 1 in June, andthe Patrol dedicated additional officersfrom around Montana to help policethe activity in the area. The Patrol heli-copter was also utilized in its first everlaw enforcement mission. The Hell’sAngels’ motorcycle club conducted ameeting in Missoula from July 24 throughJuly 30, and Patrol officers assisted ina combined effort with city, county, andfederal officers to monitor area activi-ty. The Highway Patrol again furnishedthe use of its helicopter, and many otherofficers from Montana police depart-ments. Utah, and Idaho also contributedofficers. Annual events such as the Tes-tical Festival involved officers from Dis-trict 1 and 3, as well as forest fire duty.Officer Steve Wisniewski received theMedal of Valor for his part disarmingan armed male in Big Horn County.Lieutenant Janet Baker was promotedto captain in Butte on November 18,being the first female officer to attainthe rank of captain. With her promo-tion, there were no longer assistant dis-trict commanders and no lieutenants.

In 2001, Attorney General MikeMcGrath took office in January, andColonel Bert Obert continued as chiefadministrator of the Highway Patrol.There were 237 fatalities in 203 fatalcrashes. Sergeants were issued lap topcomputers, continuing an increase incomputer use from 1995. The Patrolbegan to adopt the ASP expandable baton,establishing instructors and purchasingthe baton for officers. A large numberof Ford Crown Victoria patrol cars were

Trooper Tamra Winchell (MHP 221) on a traffic stop near Hamilton on June 18, 2009. Photo byClarke Sutphin.

009-016 Feature (color) 7/5/10 8:31 PM Page 12

again purchased, but 12 additional frontwheel drive Chevrolet Impalas were alsoacquired. The use of force in-servicetraining continued, with a progressiveapproach to weaponless defense andfirearms training. Officers participatedin realistic scenarios, including those uti-lizing simmunitions training. Mobile data

terminals in patrol cars continued to beexplored on a trial basis. The 39th recruitacademy was again held at MLEA nearHelena. In July, the automatic per diempayment for meals was eliminated, andofficers began to complete monthly expensevouchers for daily meals. A ForwardLooking Infrared (FLIR) unit was securedfor the Patrol helicopter, enhancing itsnight operation capability. The Patrolhelicopter was also painted black andwhite by Officer Tom Olds, similar to thepatrol cars. The Patrol’s fixed wing air-craft, since 1983, had been used to stopover 20,000 motorists, performed 110emergency medical relays, completed 80prisoner transports, and was used formany searches and surveillance opera-tions. It was also used for staff and Depart-ment of Justice personnel transportation,flying over 4,000 hours.

In 2002, two full-time officers (orig-inally Sgt. Larry Irwin and Officer MikeFeldman) were assigned to the gover-nor’s office for dignitary protectionduties. The funding for the executiveprotection section came from the gov-ernor’s office. Officers were initiallyuniformed, but transitioned into plainclothes. New 2002 patrol cars were theFord Crown Victoria (rear wheel drive)and the Dodge Intrepid (front wheeldrive). The color scheme was the sameblack and white, but the striping wasmodified to match the new Lewis andClark style license plates recently issued

and placed on all patrol cars. This includ-ed a red logo celebrating the Lewis andClark Bicentennial. A maroon unmarkedCrown Victoria was primarily stationedin western Montana (Missoula), but trav-eled the state as needed to curb viola-tions such as bad passes. The mobiledata terminal project was running inBillings and Missoula. Officers wereable to complete crash reports, dailylogs, and maintenance logs on the in-car computer, as well as search driverand vehicle records. Officer Rocky Bai-ley’s patrol car was struck during a night-time traffic stop on March 29. He wascompleting a warning with his over-head lights activated when a 1990 FordEconoline van side-swiped his patrolcar, which caused injury to Officer Bai-ley. The driver of the van did not imme-diately stop, but drove another 200 yards,stopping briefly, then drove away. Thedriver and his attorney later contactedand met with Sgt. Tom Hamilton and,based on that interview, the driver wascharged with felony criminal endan-germent and leaving the scene of aninjury crash. He was remanded on$25,000 bond. New pistols were select-ed to replace the current Smith and Wes-son 9mm model 5903. The Sig-Sauer.357 caliber semi-automatic pistol wasthe weapon of choice, with currentinstructors attending new training in

the summer, prior to the distribution ofthe new weapon. Shotgun barrels wereshortened to accommodate an over-the-head shotgun mount which attached tothe cage. The 40th recruit academyexpanded to 15 weeks in duration. InOctober, Colonel Obert selected Sgt.Tooley as the new captain in Belgrade.Colonel Obert retired to take a federalsecurity position at the airport in Bel-grade. Lieutenant Colonel Shawn Driscollwas promoted to colonel by AttorneyGeneral Mike McGrath. Colonel Driscollamended the uniform policy and nolonger mandated the wearing of longsleeve winter weight uniform shirts andties. Officers were given the choice ofwearing a short sleeve summer, longsleeve summer, or long sleeve wintershirt with tie, except when the Ike jack-et was worn, which mandated a tie.Turtlenecks were explored as an alter-native uniform item. In November,Colonel Driscoll selected HQ Adminis-trative Captain Yaeger as the new Lieu-tenant Colonel. Captain Tooley tookthe administrative captain’s position inheadquarters, and Sergeant Gary Beck-er was subsequently promoted to cap-tain in Belgrade. Also in November,Colonel Driscoll requested an audit fromthe legislature addressing the retentionof officers. The end result was that the

Montana Trooper

MONTANA TROOPER 13

2001 Chevrolet Impala.

On June 18, 2009, Troopers Tamra Winchell (MHP 221) and Chris Hamilton (MHP 292) investi-gate a crash near Hamilton. Photo by Clarke Sutphin.

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Montana Trooper

14 MONTANA TROOPER

Patrol was losing officers to other agen-cies over pay issues.

In 2003, new cars ordered were: 33Ford Crown Victorias, 20 ChevroletImpalas, and 10 Dodge Intrepids, allblack with gold striping and a smallerdoor crest. New Kenwood radios wereissued, both as portables and in car radios.Two more unmarked cars were ordered,including one blue and one gold. Themaroon car was moved to Billings, theblue was used in Missoula, and the goldin Great Falls. Four ten hour shifts werebeing considered. In January, the MHPbegan to utilize a new officer evaluationsystem based loosely on the current FTOevaluation system. This was meant tomake the process more objective, empha-size the overall work performance, andmake less weighty the number of DUI,citations, and warnings. Rather thanDUI, a new category was added whichadded DUI, MIP driving .02 and CMVdriving .04 into one alcohol related dri-ving offense category. As a part of thefirst long range, strategic plan to solvethe Patrol’s retention and pay issues, theMHP and the AMHP asked the 2003 leg-islature for a bi-partisan committee tostudy the officer retention issue and makea recommendation to the 2005 legisla-ture. In quarterly meetings, the MHP

and AMHP asked for elimination of vacan-cy savings (which would increase thePatrol by 15 officers each year), an increasein the staff of the MHP by 100 officers,and to take the MHP out of the state payplan and by law place it in a pay ratethat was the average of the sheriff’s officeswhere the Patrol had each of its districtoffices, which was forecast to lead to anincrease of 40%. The reasoning behindthat was that 90% of all Patrol officerslived within 50 miles of the district offices,and it was felt that Patrol officers shouldbe paid 100% of the average of their cor-responding counterparts. In essence, itwas felt that if Patrol officers were paida fair and average wage, the retentionissues would cease, and it would be along term fix. In March, the 41st acad-emy was now sixteen weeks in total,with no night classes and thirteen recruitsin attendance. Seven of twenty nine offi-cers in the National Guard were calledto active military duty due to the war inIraq. This included Jeremy Lee in Billings,two officers from Bozeman, one fromLivingston, and one from Deer Lodge.In April, officers were being measuredfor campaign hats to replace the tradi-tional uniform hat. Previously only honorguard members and academy camp com-manders had been approved for the head-

gear. Initially, the command staff wasissued felt hats and officers straw hats.Eventually, all were issued straw hats.In June, officers were selected for train-ing in crowd and riot control situations.Newly formed, the group was called theSpecial Events Support Unit (SESU). InJuly, officers were all issued turtlenecksfollowing a trial period in the winter of2002-2003. The tie policy remainedchanged as being non-mandatory. Offi-cers had previously been mandated towear the long sleeve winter shirt withtie from November 1st through March31st. In August, Officer Jason Hilden-stab was involved in a shootout near Lolowith an Ennis murder suspect. The sus-pect subsequently pled guilty to chargesin exchange for a life sentence, ratherthan the possible death penalty. In Sep-tember, the new Sig-Sauer .357 semiau-tomatic pistol was being upgraded andnew pistols being issued, with the onlydifference being the ability to mountlaser sites on the new pistols. The in-car video was in the process of beingmoved to an up front passenger com-partment mount in an 8mm form, as wasthe M-14, with a possible collapsiblestock. Thirty-three 2003 Chevrolet Impalapatrol cars were received for issuance in2004, along with 30 Ford Crown Victo-rias (no Dodge). The Chevrolet was afront wheel drive V-6, and the Ford andrear wheel drive V-8. Colonel Driscollformed a sergeant’s working group toexplore labor issues specific to sergeants.The Fatal Incident Reconstruction Sup-

Trooper David Gleich (MHP 216) responding to a call on October 19, 2009. Photo by Clarke Sutphin.

MHP hat piece.

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port Team (FIRST) continued to meetand develop, with equipped vans laterbeing supplied for response in each dis-trict. An agreement between the laborunion and management enabled officersto begin working a four ten hour shiftschedule in January of 2004, statewide.A sergeant’s FTO program was beingdeveloped by Sgt. Butch Huseby for newsergeants following promotion. Thecolonel began evaluating the need for an8th district, taken from parts of Districts2 and 5, along the hi-line, with Havrebeing mentioned as the district head-quarters. The CAD system was runningin the Helena dispatch center. Theunmarked car program was expandedto include one car in each district. Cap-tain Janet Baker retired on August 8th.MHP officers began working off dutyon a voluntary basis as escorts for theUniversity of Montana football coachduring games as a promotional and recruit-ment tool. A similar offer was made toMontana State University, but the offerwas initially declined, although it didbecome a reality in 2007.

In January of 2004, officers andsergeants alike began to work a four tenhour shift schedule, four days on andthree days off, with set days off. Thisinitially included a two week rotation ofstraight day shifts, then two weeks ofstraight night shifts, statewide. In Feb-ruary, Colonel Shawn Driscoll resignedto take a position with Swift Trucking inPhoenix, Arizona. Lt. Colonel RandyYaeger was promoted to Colonel on Feb-ruary 2, 2004, and Captain Mike Tooleywas promoted to Lieutenant Colonel onFebruary 7, 2004. Captain Paul Grim-stad moved from District 7 (Belgrade) tothe administrative captain’s position inHeadquarters. In March, officers weretesting and evaluating laser sights andtactical flashlights for the Sig-Sauer .357.Sergeants and above were being issuedblack leather jackets in place of the pre-vious green tanker jacket. MHP admin-istration was heavily engaged in effortsto obtain more pay and more officers forthe Patrol from the upcoming 2005 leg-islature. The 2004 recruit academy beganwith thirteen cadets, five of whom werefemale. The 8th District was rumoredto be becoming a reality in Shelby, although

district boundaries had not yet beenformed. The unmarked car program wasscaled back, due to concerns raised bycitizens and legislators. The adminis-tration desired alternately to focus itsefforts on the pay and manpower issuesand assigned the cars to each districtcommander. The cars were still avail-able for specific, defined events or needs.In April, the Missoula dispatch centerhad recently been closed and absorbedinto Helena, and the Billings dispatchcenter was scaling back. Helena beganto dispatch the Glendive district and theBillings district overnight. In July, ColonelRandy Yaeger retired, and Captain PaulGrimstad was selected by Attorney Gen-eral Mike McGrath to be the next chiefof the Montana Highway Patrol. In Sep-tember, Sergeant Butch Huseby was pro-moted to captain, at first being assignedto headquarters as the administrativecaptain, then assuming command of thenew District 8 in Havre in October. Dis-trict supervisors gained access to the dis-patch CAD system via the internet. InOctober, dispatch was consolidated intoHelena, and District 8 in Havre was estab-lished. With dispatch consolidated inHelena, the rank of lieutenant and assis-tant district commander was no longerin use. Tom Hamilton was promoted toadministrative captain in HQ. In Novem-ber, Captain Mike Frellick retired.

In January of 2005, Sergeant Clan-cy King was promoted to the position

of administrative captain at HQ, replac-ing Captain Tom Hamilton, who trans-ferred back to Missoula upon the retire-ment of Captain Mike Frellick. In April,with great effort on the part of manypeople, HB 35 was introduced and passedby the legislature, which set a standardof pay for new troopers at an average ofthe eight sheriff’s departments wherethe Patrol had district offices. This wouldbe funded by a $5 fee added to everyvehicle registration and would take effectin July of 2006, after a new salary sur-vey. The starting pay for a trooper wasthought to be increasing from $12.90 anhour to approximately $17.40 an houras a result. Legislation also removedthe Patrol from vacancy savings andtransferred our Motor Carriers Services

Montana Trooper

MONTANA TROOPER 15

The MHP's helicopter and three Dodge Charger patrol cars are pictured on April 26, 2007.Photo by Clarke Sutphin.

Many of the original badges from 1935 werestill in use some 70 years later.

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Montana Trooper

Bureau to the Department of Trans-portation. Black stocking caps with thearrowhead sewn in were distributed asan acceptable piece of headgear. Since1935, badges had read “Patrolman,” andmany of the original badges from 1935were still in use some 70 years later,even after female officers had joined theranks of the Patrol in 1978. Some newbadges had been ordered which readthe more gender neutral title of “PatrolOfficer,” and in May, Colonel Grimstadannounced that rather than “Patrol Offi-cer,” new badges would read “Trooper.”Those with over 20 years of service hadthe option of buying their badge. Vacan-cy announcements and DOJ ID cardswere now listed as “Trooper” rather than“Patrol Officer.” The AMHP board votedto change its name to the Association ofMontana Troopers (AMT), pending amembership vote, which subsequentlypassed. In June, folding M-14 stockswere recalled due to safety concerns,with some collapsing during firing. Shot-gun barrels that had been shortened toaccommodate the small patrol cars andoverhead mounts were being phasedback out in favor of longer, stock bar-rels. In-car video was being returnedto VHS. The SESU was wearing solidgreen shirts and BDU style pants. Anew Whelen light bar was being evalu-ated, which was low, square, and hadclear lenses. The LED lights containedwithin provided excellent visibility. New

cars in 2005 were Ford Crown Victorias(RWD) and Chevrolet Impalas (FWD).They continued with an all black colorand gold striping. Reflective cross hatch-ing was added to the rear bumper forsafety. Three cars in each district weregiven “Trooper” decals to add to the frontfenders. The decal was black and wasapplied on the gold striping. Theunmarked cars had been assigned to thedistrict captains, but each captain wasnow receiving a black car, with the col-ored versions being returned to regularservice amongst the troops. Safety spotchecks were mandated on a monthlybasis for districts. Troopers were receiv-ing state e-mail addresses, which hadpreviously been only given to supervi-sors and civilian personnel. Emphasiswas placed on tracking of daily activi-ty, in particular stops per hour of non-obligated patrol time, with a target of atleast one stop per hour. In August, thetrooper decal was increased to approx-imately 6 cars per district. In October,captains and above were re-issued solidgreen short sleeve shirts, with additionalstock on order for sergeants and below.In November, sergeant decals were addedto the front fenders. Reflective crosshatching decals were also distributedfor older patrol cars, matching the newerissued cars. Captain David Dill retiredon December 30th, after which CaptainKeith Edgell transferred from Belgradeto Billings.

In 2006, all cars had trooper decalsplaced on the front fenders. A limitednumber of cars had state trooper decalsplaced on the tops of their windshields.Supervisors received light weight blackjackets with flaps which read “StateTrooper,” and troops received black 511brand jackets with a zip-out insulatedliner, which also had flaps which read“State Trooper.” The Jet Strobe light barhad mostly been phased out in favor ofthe new Whelen light bar. The new lightbar was clear and low profile, with LEDlighting. Motorcycles had been con-sidered, but were placed on hold. Laserspeed detection was being evaluated forlimited use. 2006 in car cameras weredigital. With some initial difficulties,the new units proved to be highly effec-tive. Troopers each received state issuedcell phones. Digital cameras were issued,replacing 35 mm, and photos were sub-

Left to right: Trooper David A. Graham, Trooper Evan F. Schneider and Trooper Michael W. Haynes. Photos by Burch's One Hour Photo in Kalispell.

16 MONTANA TROOPER

The Mobile Impaired Driving AssessmentCenter (MIDAC).

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mitted to crash records on CD’s. Super-visors received digital voice recordersfor documentation purposes and inter-views. Troopers were issued dark greenshirts of all varieties. The uniform pol-icy remained loose in that troopers maygenerally choose whether to wear a shortsleeve shirt, long sleeve summer, or longsleeve winter with a tie or turtleneck.Black winter stocking caps were issuedwith the arrowhead logo. On October25th, the rank of lieutenant was broughtback, with the promotion of SergeantMike Reddick to lieutenant and assis-tant operations commander.

In 2007, new Ford Crown Victoria,Chevrolet Impala, and Dodge Chargerpatrol cars came equipped with a builtin center console to house electronics.New digital Watchguard in car cameraswere phased in which wrote video toDVD’s, which proved to be somewhatproblematic. In June, Rock River Arms.223 caliber rifles were being obtainedand M-14’s were to be largely phasedout, except for a small number retainedin each district for long-range or cere-monial purposes. Utility uniforms (washand wear) were being issued to all troop-ers for certain duties, the same as issuedpreviously to SESU members. All carshad received state trooper windshielddecals. In late July, the Mobile ImpairedDriving Assessment Center (MIDAC) wasfirst used, processing impaired drivers ina mobile DUI processing center. In Sep-tember, older Motorola mobile data ter-minals were being phased out and newGeneral Dynamics Itronix dockable laptop computers with Verizon broadbandwireless internet capabilities were beingphased in. Digital in car and portableradios were being phased in. On Octo-ber 9th, Trooper David A. Graham diedin a traffic crash near Kalispell when adistracted driver crossed into his lane andstruck his unmarked patrol car head on.

In 2008, the roving enforcementsquad was initiated again, due to a twoyear grant from the federal government.The Strategic Traffic Enforcement Team(STET) was commanded by Sgt. PeteRichardson and patrolled the most dan-gerous portions of the state, based oncrash statistics. A laser unit was used forspeed estimation. The squad worked 10

days on and 6 days off and consisted ofone sergeant and five troopers. The squadcommander drove a Dodge Magnum sta-tion wagon. A different in car camerawas being tested, the ICOP system, whichrecorded all data to a hard drive and latera server for long term storage. This sys-tem, like Watchguard, recorded contin-uously to a hard drive. In September,after years in the planning and testing inthe communications center, the MHPwent live state-wide with its new com-puter aided dispatch and records man-agement system, made by CTS Americaof Florida. Similar to a system used bythe Florida Highway Patrol, the systemis multi-faceted. On August 26th, Troop-er Evan F. Schneider died as a result ofa traffic crash when another vehicle dri-ven by an impaired driver struck hispatrol car head on near Columbia Falls.Each trooper was issued a portable Itron-ix laptop with a printer and driver licensescanner in their patrol car. Each laptopwas broadband wireless internet enabledand tracked via GPS. Troopers then hadaccess to a state-wide messaging and map-ping system, enabling them to view allcars and calls across the state, accessCJIN-NCIC, issue electronic citations,scan driver licenses, import CJIN and dri-ver returns into citations and crash reports,and write crash reports in a new man-ner. The system also incorporated arrestreports (probable cause affidavits) andoffense reports (pre-trial summaries), aswell as a master name index, so troop-ers could view a history of any subjector vehicle the MHP had previously hadcontact with in real time. In November,Attorney General Mike McGrath waselected as the chief justice of the Mon-tana Supreme Court, and Steve Bullockwas elected as the new Montana Attor-ney General. In December, Colonel PaulGrimstad announced his retirement, effec-tive December 31, 2008.

In January of 2009, LieutenantColonel Mike Tooley was selected byas the new chief of the Montana High-way Patrol. In February, Captain ButchHuseby was selected as the new lieu-tenant colonel or deputy chief of theMontana Highway Patrol. On March27th, Trooper Michael W. Haynes diedas a result of a traffic crash which had

occurred on March 23rd, when his patrolvehicle was struck head on by an intox-icated driver traveling the wrong wayon US Highway 93 near Kalispell. InJune, Captain Tom Butler was promot-ed to major and became the new admin-istrative support commander in head-quarters. Patrol cars were a mix of FordCrown Victorias, Chevrolet Impalas,and Dodge Chargers, with one DodgeMagnum. Dark green t-shirts wereauthorized as a uniform item, and util-ity pants were authorized for wear ona daily basis, except in combination witha long sleeve winter shirt and tie, whichrequired traditional uniform pants.

In 2010, all new patrol cars wereChevrolet Impalas, and they sported anew graphics design, which in part cel-ebrated the 75th anniversary of the Mon-tana Highway Patrol. In addition, thanksto Major Tom Butler who spearheadedthe project, AMT members were able topurchase at their own expense, 75thanniversary badges to be worn only dur-ing 2010. Previously, troopers at the rankof sergeant and above did not have theirbadge number reflected on the face oftheir badge, just rank. The anniversarybadges, however, were printed with bothbadge number and rank. In addition,thanks to Trooper Lath Keith who coor-dinated the project, AMT members hadthe opportunity to purchase a limitededition, specially engraved Smith andWesson .38 caliber revolver, similar tothat which was carried in 1935. A newblack and white 75th anniversary licenseplate was also issued for patrol cars. �

*Editor’s note: This article was acompilation of many works and sources.Thanks to Max Blakesley, Steve Apgar,Herb Baker, Warren Meade, Lee Graves,Keith Edgerton, Bryan Adams, DutchMeyer, Kristi Skaalure, Mike Tooley,Shawn Driscoll, Tom Butler, Larry Irwin,Keith Edgell, Chris Costello, Brad Sangray,and Scott Ayers for their contributionsand assistance compiling and verifyingthis information. In addition, thanks tothe Montana Highway Patrol, the Mon-tana Historical Society, and photogra-phers L. H. Jorud and Clarke Sutphinfor supply ing many of the numerousphotographs used in this story.

Montana Trooper

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