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Missoula County Sheriff’s Office sees expected summer uptick in crime

Posted at 5:39 PM, Jun 06, 2019
and last updated 2019-06-06 19:43:27-04

MISSOULA – Over the weekend the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office received some reports of miscellaneous crimes being committed in different neighborhoods around the county, which they say isn’t unusual as we start to make our way into the depths of warmer summer months.

The summer months in Western Montana see more and more people spending time having fun outside, which according to the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office means more crime.

“Over the weekend we had taken a few reports of some criminal mischief and some theft cases and as we move into the summer months and it’s getting warmer, kids are getting out of school there is just a lot more activity so we are seeing that uptick like we do every year but like I said in the Lolo area and in Target Range we had some property damage,” MSCO public information officer Brenda Bassett said.

Deputies continue to follow up on the reports of crime they receive but if someone doesn’t report these incidents through the proper channels they might go unheard.

“With social media its become this thing that people will send a Facebook message or to Twitter and the truth is that we don’t monitor that 24/7, and so if you’re able to call dispatch and get a deputy assigned to that case then either they will make contact with you over the phone and you can have that conversation of what should we do, this is what happened, this is what,” Bassett added.

One area where law enforcement sees an uptick in activity are outdoor recreation sites which the sheriff’s office hopes to monitor closer with two added deputies.

“We’re hoping to get two new positions that will help with the recreation areas, especially like on the rivers we see a ton more activity on the rivers as the weather gets warmer. We’re hoping to have those two new deputies be able to patrol those areas and to just have a better watch generally in those areas with those people that sometimes do what they shouldn’t be doing when its warm,” Bassett said.

The sheriff’s office says that you should report anything suspicious you see in your neighborhood and that you can call the sheriff’s non-emergency number at 406-721-0911.

The two new deputies that will help to patrol outdoor recreation sites will also serve as school resource officers during the school year.