Policing in urban Maryland isn’t the same as rural Montana

I’ve read with interest stories and comments regarding the Republican primary election for Flathead County sheriff. For that reason, I did some research on my own.

First, although the length of tenure on the job for each candidate is about the same, there are significant differences between the types of experience. It appears that challenger retired police captain Evelyn Cahalen does have many years consulting in the law enforcement realm, but I don’t see that as the same as years on the job. It just isn’t the same. I also wasn’t able to determine if she consulted for any rural law enforcement settings.

Cahalen retired about two decades ago after working for the Montgomery County Department of Police in Maryland. Montgomery County, which is part of the Washington D.C./Baltimore metropolitan area, is “the state’s most populous and affluent county, bordering Washington, D.C. …” The county population is over 1 million. The total area is 507 square miles, giving the county a population density of 2,154 people every square mile.

In contrast, Flathead County has a population of just over 100,000 and the county encompasses 5,088 square miles, which means the land mass is 10 times larger than Montgomery County while the population of Flathead County is less then 10% of Montgomery County. The population density of Flathead County is 20.51 people per square mile, less than 1% of Montgomery County. Flathead County is in fact two-thirds the size of the entire state of Maryland.

Here is a county comparison breakdown that may make it easier to understand the differences between the two counties:

Montgomery County is 507 square miles, population 1.1 million, population density 2,154/square mile, with firearm ownership in Maryland of 30%. Flathead County is 5,088 square miles, population 104,000, population density 20.51/square mile, with firearm ownership in Montana of 67%.

Those are staggering differences, and the policing procedures and training would also be dramatically different.

The county where Cahalen got her on the job experience is 1/10th the size of Flathead County. Plus, she never served as the top cop in her county. At best, her jurisdiction responsibility would be a small fraction of the size of Flathead County.

Population density shows another big difference. With 2,154 people per square mile in Montgomery County, it is reasonable to think police response and backup times should be much shorter. Think of someone learning police work in that environment trying to police a county 10 times larger with a very sparse population. Given the landmass of Flathead County, it is reasonable to think the police response and backup times would be longer. 

Cahalen’s experience may have an officer within blocks of a call where a deputy in Flathead County may be 20+ miles away. Think it is just a staffing issue and she would add more deputies? Good luck with that. The county commissioners wouldn’t cough up more money to keep deputy pay competitive with other Montana counties so I doubt she could increase the budget for more deputies.

Gun ownership is another interesting comparison. Montana consistently ranks as the highest state for percentage of gun ownership while Maryland is consistently ranked toward the bottom. Making a domestic call, statistically a dangerous call for law enforcement, in Flathead County may have the suspect more heavily armed than the deputy. That wouldn’t happen in Maryland.

So how does working in a department within an urban county over a much smaller land mass prepare someone for leading the Flathead County Sheriff’s department? It doesn’t. 

Sheriff Brian Heino is clearly the more qualified candidate.

In addition, Heino led the charge in getting the jail bond passed last year; which is no easy task. Frankly, getting a jail bond passed in any Montana county, especially one where many folks are averse to any increase in property taxes is no easy task. I lived in Havre when Hill County tried to pass a jail bond. It eventually got done but it wasn’t easy. I also lived in Bozeman when a Gallatin County jail bond passed after failing several times.

I get it. No one likes to pay more property taxes to house criminals, but you can’t support law enforcement without making sure the jail is large enough to be a deterrent. I have seen first-hand what happens when a jail doesn’t meet the needs of the community.

I also ask you to be weary of people who may complain about Heino. Working with the public and managing people isn’t an easy task. If everyone were happy, he wouldn’t be doing his job. I spent 52 years working with the public and managing people for most of that time, and you simply can’t do your job without making someone unhappy. Sometimes the answer you have to give is no.

With all of the above, the choice is clear. Heino not only deserves our vote, he has earned it. Please join me in casting a vote for Sheriff Brian Heino in the upcoming primary election.

Rick Weaver is a retired newspaper publisher, including 13 years at the Daily Inter Lake. He lives in Lakeside.