by Travis Mateer
I was getting coffee at one of my favorite coffee shops when the barista asked me if the downtown police officer had talked to me. No, I replied, then I continued by explaining to the barista that I’m not really interested in communicating with active law enforcement, especially someone who supposedly told a downtown business owner that I’m a schizophrenic.
The job our Dedicated Downtown Police Officer has is described here at the Missoula Downtown Business Association website. From the link (emphasis mine):
The Downtown Business Improvement District focuses on improving the cleanliness, safety and economic health of Downtown Missoula. Funded by property owners within a defined boundary, the BID provides and supports a suite of programs with a finite focus on safety. The Dedicated Downtown Police Officer (DDPO) has been in place since 2009.
By state law, BIDs cannot replace services provided by the local municipality. The DDPO program is a partnership that places one selected officer to patrol Downtown Missoula specifically to focus on getting to know the inhabitants of the district, including business owners, employees, residents and the general consumers. Through connections, collaboration, and problem solving, the Downtown Police Officer focuses on building trust and relationships with the Downtown community, crime prevention, improving response times and action, and directing those in need to services.
Do I trust the downtown police officer? Before January 3rd, 2020, the answer might have been yes, but the more I have learned about how a black man can be euthanized in a liberal community like Missoula, the less inclined I am to blindly trust people wearing badges.
According to a police interview I saw with the man who allegedly choked out Sean Stevenson on that January 3rd evening inside the Poverello Center, the previous Downtown Police Officer, Bob Franke, was in the hospital room before the Sheriff’s Office pulled the plug on Sean. Why?
When I was asked by the downtown cop how I was doing last week, my response (before coffee) was honest and direct. Not that great, I said, then I asked the cop if she had read the text exchange I had with Detective Guy Baker. No, she said, then added that she doesn’t work that closely with Baker. Ok then.
The reason I decided to publish these texts is because a friend told me I was depicted as schizophrenic by this police officer, which she denied saying when I asked her. Where would a police office hear such a thing about me? The two probable answers to that question are Ellie Boldman and/or Susan Hay Patrick.
If I were to talk to someone in law enforcement I would start with Mike Colyer, our police chief, who claims that TRUST IS THE FOUNDATION of local police work. If that’s true, Mike, then you might want to chat with me about that gun incident at Sha-Ron.
I’d also consider talking to the FBI, but just for shits and giggles, since one of my sources claims that they are aware of issues with the Sheriff’s Office, but haven’t done anything about it. Maybe that’s because our local corruption goes straight up to the ladder to the state, where our Governor has backed up the Sheriff’s Chaplain in an anti-trafficking scheme that stinks to high heaven.
If Mike Colyer wants to talk, I’m available. We could discuss the history of the dedicated downtown police officer program, like how this program expanded to 7 days a week and featured cops from two VERY corrupt jurisdictions–Lake County, Montana, and Baltimore, Maryland. From the link:
Following renewal of the Downtown Business Improvement District (BID) for another 10 years, the Downtown BID and the Missoula Police Department have partnered together to provide a Dedicated Downtown Police Officer seven days a week, beginning October 20. Officer Jay Gillhouse will join officer Randy Krastel to patrol Downtown Missoula year-round on foot and on bike.
Gillhouse joined the Missoula Police Department in 2018, following nine years of service with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. A native of Ronan, Mont., Gillhouse served seven years in the U.S. Coast Guard.
Krastel has been on the Downtown beat for 2 ½ years and has been with the Missoula Police Department since 2004. Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, he earned a B.S. in sociology and criminology from the University of Montana in 2003. Krastel was named the Downtown Employee of the Year in January for his contributions to the Downtown community in 2019.
Or, we could discuss my concern about Detective Baker and his connection to the woman who got shot in the stomach at Sha-Ron by her brother in the van I sold her so that she could get out of Montana.
As you can see, dear reader, there are serious things developing in Zoom Town, and I’m right in the middle of it all, trying to figure out what the hell is actually going on. If you’d like to assist me in this effort, donating to Travis’ Impact Fund (TIF) is one way to help me out.
Thanks for reading!