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Kalispell Police Department Bolstering Staff with Two New Officers

Police department has seen 20 percent increase in calls in 2016

By Dillon Tabish
Kalispell Chief of Police Roger Nasset. Beacon File Photo

The Kalispell Police Department will add two law enforcement positions in January 2017.

The Kalispell City Council unanimously approved a budget amendment on Dec. 5 that will set aside funding for two new officers.

Police Chief Roger Nasset said there are candidates from a previous hiring pool who could start duty by Jan. 10. The positions will be help address overnight staffing needs and be paired with a K9 unit on a swing shift, as well as help with other enforcement and community needs, city officials said.

The additional staffing will put Kalispell’s Police Department at 41 officers. The department responded to 26,318 calls during the first nine months of 2016, about 4,200 more calls than it received during all of 2012. The call volume represents a 20 percent increase. Nasset previously told the Beacon that the police department has seen an uptick in cases that are more complex and time consuming.

Kalispell amended its annual budget appropriations to use $78,750 to hire the additional officers.