Stevensville Police Chief James Marble has been a one-man police force for a little too long now. Caught off guard by two unexpected resignations, Marble is struggling to put his police department back in order. Having a clerk devoted to police department business has helped tremendously. But without a single other officer in the department, covering the town and getting all the administrative work done including extended investigations has been a daunting occupation.
Marble said that his immediate goal was “to get back to what we had,” which was a Chief and two full time officers. The problem is, only one officer can be trained at a time and the process of selecting a new officer can also take some time. He said they are nearing the end of the hiring process for one officer.
But in Marble’s view, full 24/7 coverage within the town is the real goal and that would take an additional two officers – five officers including the Chief.
“This is something the community needs to look at and make some decisions about,” said Marble. He said it wasn’t something a lot of people consider when thinking about the future of their town.
“If you have an underfunded, understaffed police department, bad people figure that out. It’s not rocket science.” He said that criminal elements take advantage of those situations and there is an influx that compounds the problem, creating a downward spiral.
“I don’t want to see that happen to our community,” said Marble. “That’s why all of us who live here need to consider this and get us the number of officers that we need to keep the town the way it is, a small town, not much crime, a relaxed atmosphere for people to live in in peace and tranquility.”
Marble said that this community conversation needed to take place but that it would take some time. In the meantime, he said, he is looking hard for alternative sources of funding including grants and other donations. He is currently pursuing a grant to basically re-build or re-locate the police department to provide more room and more direct access to the public.
A Neighborhood Watch program is also being instituted in which the town is divided into zones, each with a volunteer captain.
“It is basically an observe and report system,” said Marble. He said training sessions are provided to the neighborhood on what to look for in terms of suspicious activity and how to report it most effectively.
“Having community members getting involved and getting some training in what to look for and how to report could really give law enforcement a leg up in these neighborhoods,” said Marble.
Marble said he is committed to the steady rebuilding of his department and hopes the Stevensville community can look at what they’ve got in terms of law enforcement, look at their needs in terms of law enforcement, and what kind of town they want to live in.
Dan Loeffler says
“Caught off guard by two unexpected resignations, Marble is struggling to put his police department back in order.” Caught off guard? Really?
1) Stevensville Police Officer Sharon I. Jessop (resigned), Cause # CR-17-127.
Count 1. Operation of noncommercial vehicle by person with alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more, first offense, a misdemeanor, in violation of Mont. Code Ann.§ 61-8-406.
“On or about March 19, 2017, the Defendant, drove or was in actual physical control of a noncommercial vehicle upon the ways of this state open to the public while the Defendant’s alcohol concentration, as shown by analysis of the Defendant’s blood, was 0.08 or more when the Defendant drove her BMW motorcycle on Fairgrounds Road in Ravalli County, Montana, and drove off the road and wrecked. The Defendant’s BAC was approximately 0.132 grams of alcohol per 100 ml. of whole blood shortly after the wreck and 0.109 +/- 0.015 grams of alcohol per 100 ml. of blood approximately two hours later. ”
2) Stevensville Police Officer Samuel S. Fawcett (resigned). Cause # CR-2018-207:
CHARGE 1 – INCEST, a Felony, in violation of § 45-5-507(1), (5), M.C.A..
“On or about or between October 18, 2014 and April 18, 2016, in Ravalli County, Montana, Defendant SAMUEL STEVEN FAWCETT committed the offense of incest by knowingly having sexual contact with Youth 1, a descendant, in Defendant’s residence, at a time when Youth 1 was three (3) or four (4) years old and Defendant was 33 to 35 years old, in violation of the above statute.”
CHARGE 2 – INCEST. a Felony, in violation o f§ 45-5-507(1), (5), M.C.A.
“On or about or between October 18, 2014 and April 18, 2016, in Ravalli County, Montana, Defendant SAMUEL STEVEN FAWCETT committed the offense of incest by knowingly having sexual contact with Youth 1, a descendant, in a playhouse at Defendant’s residence, at a time when Youth 1 was three (3) or four (4) years old and Defendant was 33 to 35 years old, in violation of the above statute.”
“The maximum penalty for the above offenses is imprisonment for a term not to exceed two hundred (200) years, plus any applicable penalty enhancement provisions, and
$100,000 in fines.”
“Caught off guard by two unexpected resignations, Marble is struggling to put his police department back in order.” Caught off guard? There are only two possible explanations for this statement: either the Chief is intentionally misleading the t0wn, or is ignorant to the conduct and behavior of his staff. Both reflect poorly on the Chief, although it is up to him to decide and defend his statements and actions (why did they resign instead of being fired?)
“Marble said that his immediate goal was “to get back to what we had,” which was a Chief and two full time officers.” Unbelievable! Stevensville needs to move forward and definitely not go back to “what we had.” It is time for a brand new police presence starting from the top down, not the bottom up.