MISSOULA - Captain Mike Colyer has been appointed to serve as the interim chief of the Missoula Police Department.
Mayor Jordan Hess tapped Colyer to lead the department while recruitment efforts begin to find a new chief following the retirement of Chief Jaeson White.
“I’m grateful for Chief White’s service, and I’m certain that Mike will provide the steady leadership that we all need right now,” Hess said.
Colyer is a Missoula native who earned a degree in Law Enforcement at North Idaho College.
He worked as a police officer for the Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, Police Department before joining the Missoula Police Department in 1996.
Colyer was a motorcycle officer before being promoted to Sergeant in 2001 where he supervised Uniformed Patrol Teams, the Traffic Unit and the Street Crimes Unit.
He was promoted to Lieutenant in 2008 and served in the Office of Professional Standards, where he was responsible for investigating citizen complaints, internal investigations, and hiring new officers.
Colyer graduated from the FBI National Academy in 2011 and later that year was promoted to Captain and assigned to the Detective Division.
According to a news release, Colyer helped guide MPD's work with the United States Department of Justice to reform the department’s response to sexual assault.
Colyer transferred to his current assignment as the Administrative Captain in 2022.
He currently oversees the Office of Professional Standards, the Property and Evidence Unit, the Records Unit, the Police Support Specialist, and Training.
