Marion resident Evie Cahalen, 65, has launched a bid to unseat incumbent Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino, 47, who is seeking a third term in office.

The two Republicans will square off in the June 2 primary election, where voters will choose who appears on the November ballot. This is Cahalen’s first run for county sheriff.  

Her move to Montana from Maryland in 2013 fulfilled a childhood dream, inspired by John Denver’s “Rocky Mountain High.” 

“I wanted to be a Montanan, and I feel like I am a Montanan,” Cahalen said. “I've been accepted into the community. I have wonderful friends here. I could never imagine not living here.”  

A lifelong Republican, Cahalen serves as president of the Flathead County Republican Women and second vice president of the Montana Federation of Republican Women. She also joined the Flathead County Republican Central Committee this year.  

But there’s no room for politics in law enforcement, she said.   

“Even though this is a partisan race, law enforcement can't be partisan,” Cahalen said. “You have to serve every member of your community.” 

Cahalen earned a master's degree in police management from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and a bachelor's degree in justice administration from The American University in Washington D.C.*

She began her law enforcement career at the Montgomery County Police Department Public Service Training Academy in Maryland at 21 years old, and went on to work for the county police department, where she became district commander. 

During her career, Cahalen consulted for various law enforcement organizations, including the National Sheriffs’ Association and International Association of Chiefs of Police, and taught criminal justice as an adjunct professor at Montgomery Community College. 

“I love law enforcement. It's just a passion,” said Cahalen, who retired from her 25-year career in 2007. “People who I know, who talk to me about it, they can tell right away.”  

She decided to run for sheriff four years ago, around the same time she joined the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office Advisory Board. But there hasn’t been an advisory board meeting in more than two years, she said.  

“I thought that it would be an opportunity to provide input to the Sheriff's Office,” Cahalen said. “For all intents and purposes, it doesn't even exist. I was very disappointed to see that.”  

Heino confirmed the advisory board no longer holds regular meetings, but said that he remains in touch with many of its members. 

Cahalen's campaign centers on building community relationships, improving deputy training and reducing liability risks with the county’s current jail. If elected sheriff, she wants to boost Neighborhood Watch Programs.   

“It's actually like a real training process,” Cahalen said. “You think it's just calling 911, but it's not. You have to know what to report.”  

Since 2003, Cahalen has toured the nation teaching civilians how to answer dispatcher questions and provide detailed information as a witness.   

She’ll also invest in repairing the current county jail while a new detention facility is constructed on Snowline Lane, funded by a $105 million bond passed by voters in November.  

For almost two decades, the county’s current detention center has weathered overcrowding, unsafe working conditions and limited space for inmates with mental health needs. She wants to address the facility’s infrastructure issues to create a safer working environment. 

“We're kind of just lucky at this point, I think, that we haven't had a lawsuit filed,” Cahalen said. 

HEINO SPENT the better part of his law enforcement career, roughly 20 years, discussing the need for a new jail. Seeing the project through is part of the reason he is running for reelection, he told the Inter Lake.  

A Flathead Valley native, Heino graduated from Flathead High School in 1996 and went on to pursue a career in firefighting at Smith Valley Fire Department and with the U.S. Forest Service.  

A few years later, he followed his future wife to Sheridan, Wyoming, where he received an associate degree in police science from Sheridan College. He worked for the city’s police department until the couple returned to Kalispell in 2003, where he joined the Sheriff’s Office as a deputy.  

Heino has since served in leadership positions, including SWAT team lead sniper and patrol commander. He has overseen the Sheriff’s Posse and served as coordinator with Flathead County Search and Rescue. He first ran for sheriff in 2018 with the encouragement of his colleagues, and his last seven years in office are a testament to his success, Heino said.  

His management skills were tested during the Covid-19 pandemic, which proved to be a difficult time for the office, Heino said. Several deputies put in their resignation or retired during the pandemic, leaving his office critically understaffed.  

At one point, there were 14 vacant deputy positions and eight vacant detention officer positions.  

“We had to really compact our resources down to the bare essentials,” Heino said. “We had to pull all of our special entities into just operating on patrol.” 

Staffing levels have bounced back since the pandemic, Heino said. Today, the office sees an average of two to three vacant deputy positions every month. But there’s room for growth, he said. 

Across Montana, average staffing for a sheriff’s office is one deputy per 1,000 civilians. Heino said his department is currently staffed with a ratio of 0.8 to 0.9 deputies per 1,000.  

“That's six or so positions that would be required to even meet that basic,” Heino said. 

Outside of staffing needs, Heino said he’s met every goal he set for himself as sheriff in 2019. He successfully lobbied for a new jail facility, created a new K-9 unit, hired school resource officers and secured new technology for his office. 

“We've done a great job here, I think, of investing in our staff,” Heino said. “We have really invested in training and trying to get them the best training we possibly can afford.” 

In a third term, Heino said he'll continue to negotiate staff and pay increases, while staying mindful of the county’s limited revenue.  

Under his watch, the Sheriff’s Office funded specialized positions in traffic and narcotics investigation divisions, as well as school resource positions, through grant funding.  

“While I take caution in these grants since we can’t totally rely on them, we continue to look at opportunities to add additional staff through grants,” Heino said in a follow up email to the Inter Lake. “I will continue to work towards paying a fair wage, but also understand those funds come from citizens’ property taxes.” 

His reelection campaign centers on investing in community mental health resources, advocating higher wages for detention officers and deputies, and prepping for the new detention facility to go online. 

“My slogan is for the Flathead, from the Flathead, just because I do believe in that,” Heino said. “I think I'm here to protect everyone's constitutional rights, and that's how I based all my decisions.” 

BOTH CANDIDATES also addressed the county’s relationship with federal immigration authorities. In late January, advocates called on county and city officials to cut ties with the Department of Homeland Security after Minneapolis residents Rene Good and Alex Pretti were shot and killed by immigration officers. 

In 2020, the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office entered a 287(g) agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The agreement allowed the Sheriff’s Office to hold a person for an additional 48 hours in jail if they were found to be in the country unlawfully. Federal immigration officers had that time to transfer the person to a detention center.    

Heino told the Inter Lake the agreement is no longer active.  

“We don't currently have the capacity to contract anything, because of our capacity issues,” he said.  

Since the new jail is expected to hold twice as many inmates, Heino and Cahalen said they’d consider signing a new agreement with federal immigration authorities.  

“It's something we'd have to consider,” Heino said. “What's the contract going to say? Where is that going to be at for capacity issues, and then, honestly, who offers this county the best rates for housing.” 

Cahalen said a new contract agreement is something she would entertain, especially since reserving the beds would provide an opportunity for federal funding.  

“I'm not sheriff yet, so I can't make that decision, but it certainly will be something that I will visit,” Cahalen said. “Right now, I see there more benefits than liabilities, but I'm not an expert in it, and I need to look into that further.” 

*This story was updated to include Cahalen's educational background.

Reporter Hannah Shields can be reached at 758-4439 or [email protected].  

    Sheriff Brian Heino is running for a third term as Flathead County Sheriff. He is one of two Republican candidates who will be on the primary election on June 2.
  

    Republican and retired law enforcement officer Evie Cahalen is launching her bid to unseat incumbent Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino and will appear in the June 2 primary election. (Courtesy of Evie Cahalen)