Columbia Falls Police had a busy year and DUIs were up

The Columbia Falls Police Department had a busy year in 2025, according to a report by chief Chad Stephens to council last week.

All told they saw 3,117 911 calls and had 10,796 police reports. There were 423 arrests, of which 371 were adults and 52 juveniles. 

Police made 123 DUI arrests and 36 for drug offenses. All told, they had 3,386 traffic stops, 1,607 traffic offenses, 218 collisions and patrolled 93,265 miles.

The DUIs were up 14% over last year and arrests were up 9% overall, but juvenile arrests were down. Felonies saw a 13% increase.

They used force in 12 incidents, had six pursuits and two officers were involved in collisions that were not the officer’s fault. The department had four complaints. 

All told, they had 792 hours of training through the Public Safety Officers Standards and Training Council and 244 hours of in-office training.

Officers are required to attend 20 hours of training every two years minimum to maintain their peace officer certification and the department is well above that.

Two officers received life saving awards. Micah Friesen and Todd Hall both responded to incidents which likely saved someone’s life. Hall gave a choking person the Heimlich maneuver and Friesen administered Narcan, a medicine that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose to a person in distress, saving his life.

“We have a young but very motivated department,” Stephens wrote in his report to council. “That being said, our focus for the next year will be to continue with what we consider our core trainings curriculum which are not offered as Basic Academy Classes. Maintaining our basic law enforcement skill sets through monthly in-service training and sending officers to advanced trainings for specialization in a specific law enforcement disciplines and leadership training. We will continue to forge ahead with our technology upgrades, and look at process improvement for increased efficiency.”