In February, Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen opened submissions for the Montana Law Enforcement Appreciation Poster Contest to all Montana elementary school students.

This contest is a partnership between the Attorney General’s Office and Montana Highway Patrol.

The artwork was to reflect why the students appreciate the work that all law enforcement does by risking their lives every day to keep Montana communities safe. Entries were to be made in acrylics, watercolor, pencils, charcoal, markers, crayons, pastels or others, but not digitally produced.

Fifth-grade student Madisyn Allard, of Superior, was the winner of Region 1 in the second annual Law Enforcement Appreciation Poster Contest, during National Police Week.

Her winning poster shows a patrol car in the mountains.

In her artist statement, Madisyn wrote, "I know my family and I are safe because of the law enforcement we have across Montana. I especially feel safe when I see a deputy or a patrolman I know."

And she just might know everyone at the Mineral County Sheriff’s Office as her dad and uncle were deputies for them at one time.

"She loves to draw,” said her dad, Micha Allard. “She started at a very young age and it’s something she does all of the time. This award might give her even more confidence to continue art.”

Knudsen said, “It's great to see the respect and appreciation Montana's young people already have for our law enforcement officers. No submission goes unappreciated, and I know the support of these students means a lot to our officers who put their lives on the line for our communities every day.”

Colonel Steve Lavin, Chief of the Montana Highway Patrol, was on-hand with Knudsen for the award presentation and gave Madisyn a ride-along by the school where lights and sirens were deployed and an extremely loud klaxon for 1.5 seconds.

“We’re sitting at about 255 officers covering the state,” Lavin said when asked how many troopers we in Montana. He was very complimentary of the officers in the Mineral County area and made special mention of Sgt. Shawn Smalley.

“He loves what he does and is a good member of the community. The sergeants probably have the toughest jobs in the highway patrol. They have to work shifts. They have to supervise. And they have mountains of paperwork,” he said.

The Montana Highway Patrol is divided into eight districts with Mineral County in Region 1, and this was Knudsen’s first award ceremony of the contest.

This year there was a special meaning to the Montana Law Enforcement Appreciation Poster Contest as it was dedicated to Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Lewis Johnson. Johnson was injured in the line of duty Feb. 16 in Lincoln County while apprehending a suspect. He was run over by the suspect and sustained serious injuries. He has been a trooper with the Highway Patrol for eight years and is stationed in Eureka.

When asked on the condition of Trooper Johnson, Colonel Lavin said he’s coming along great.

“He’s got a good positive attitude. He’s a good man and he fully feels that he is going to recover from this, and we all hope that he does.”

On May 18, U.S. Border Patrol agents from the Sweetgrass Station on I-15 apprehended four individuals who were determined to be in the country illegally. Agents allegedly seized narcotics, a loaded firearm, cash and a vehicle.

With fentanyl and other drugs making headlines, Montana is far from immunity, Knudsen said.

“Look, all of the interstates in Montana are pretty main arteries for drug smuggling. I think I-15 is probably the main corridor, but we know that I-90 coming over from Washington state is a big corridor also,” Knudsen shared. “It’s all Mexican cartel drugs and they’re using every way into the state they can find. Yeah, we do a lot of drug interdiction here on I-90.”

So, with business out of the way, Dairy Queen Dilly Bars were handed around the classroom with smiles and laughter that happy and excited kids make.