April 12, 2023, marks 140 years that the Bozeman Police Department has been keeping the community safe—but a day on the job looked a little different back when the department was first established in 1883.
Today, the Bozeman Police Department has 67 officers, a shiny new station, and a full lineup of squad cars.
But Rachel Phillips, the research director at the Gallatin History Museum, says Bozeman PD had a humble beginning, fighting crime on foot and on horseback.
But what kind of crimes were people committing in the late 1800s and 1900s?
“It sure looks like it was a lot of drinking and animal control,” said Phillips. “So loose dogs and loose horses.”
Even complaints from angry neighbors about parties going on next door.
On April 17th, 1927, officers cracked open a notebook and logged this experience:
“At 6 p.m. a call came in from a Mrs. O’Brien about a loud party going on next door. We arrived right away.”
It seems like Bozeman wasn’t exempt from the roaring twenties.
Chief Jim Veltkamp slapped an old book of court dockets from the 1920s on a table at the Public Safety Center and pointed out some offenses.
“You can see most of the crimes here: drunk,” said Veltkamp.
And another one.
“Drunk,” Veltkamp said again.
Chief Veltkamp joined the Bozeman Police Department in 1999.
“I literally saw an ad in the paper one day that they were hiring. Even with no experience, I thought I’d give it a try,” said Veltkamp. “Here I am, 24 years later.”
He says in the time he’s been with the department, he’s seen a wide variety of changes take place.
“The technology, the vehicles, the training, the equipment, and it’s a much bigger city with a lot more people and a lot more crime,” said Veltkamp.
Looking toward the future, Veltkamp says he has high hopes for the department. Even though things have surely changed, he says the core values of the job never do.
“It’s about keeping people safe, which requires patience, the ability to solve problems, make good decisions, and communicate well with people,” said Veltkamp.
Something the Bozeman Police Department has been doing for 140 years.
