by Sarah Glass
The Ravalli County Sheriff’s Office (RCSO) continues to expand its public relations portfolio this year with the addition of an inaugural BBQ Rib Showdown on Saturday, October 12, at Hamilton City Hall. Community members are invited to participate by signing up to compete in the cook-off, donating auction items, or simply attending the event to enjoy live music and sample a plate of ribs. Proceeds from the fundraiser will help initiate a new, county-wide Shop-With-A-Cop program.
Kristin Kruse, Community Outreach Coordinator for RCSO, spoke to the Bitterroot Star about the new event, RCSO’s endeavor to engage more with the public, and the significance of a new Shop-With-A-Cop program.
Before transitioning to her current position at RCSO, Kruse worked for the Stevensville Police Department (SPD) for about three years. Her experience in event planning, coupled with the decisive efforts of her and her peers, culminated in SPD’s first-ever National Night Out event in 2023, bringing members of the community together with first responders in fun and informative ways. She was also integral in developing the department’s Shop-With-A-Cop program and associated fundraisers. Since April of this year, Kruse has applied the same trailblazing standard she exhibited working for SPD to her new role managing public relations for RSCO.
“This is what I like to do,” said Kruse. “I have a background in events. That was kind of my career before all of this, so it just seemed like a natural thing for me to be doing. I did see a lack of that community interaction in Stevensville, and then, you know, there’s been nothing like [these events] in place with the Ravalli County Sheriff’s Office… I think it’s important to get law enforcement involved with the community in a positive way. That’s kind of what my goal is, and then, of course, to give back to and serve the community.”
Should the first annual Ravalli County Sheriff’s Office BBQ Rib Showdown prove to be a success, Kruse hopes to roll out a Shop-With-A-Cop program later this year that benefits communities throughout Ravalli County.
Kruse painted a picture of the SPD Shop-With-A-Cop model as a reference for how the RCSO program might look: “I worked with the schools, kindergarten through high school… I had applications that I dropped off with all the counselors, and I let them help me select which kids were the best fit for this. Yes, economics was part of the equation, but I was also looking for kids who maybe had negative interactions with law enforcement. Maybe they had a parent who was in jail; maybe there had been domestic disputes at their homes; [these were] kids who need to have this positive interaction.”
In the SPD Shop-With-A-Cop program, as Kruse described, an officer or deputy escorts two youths via police vehicles to Walmart in Missoula. Firing up the lights and sirens proves to be a good icebreaker, and then each youth gets to use a predetermined amount of money at Walmart to buy things for themselves and their families.
“What I was touched by in my experiences in the past,” said Kruse, “is that these kids are not selfish. I had kids that purchased dishes and towels. They were very aware of what the needs were in their homes and excited to be able to buy gifts for their parents, [or their grandparents if it was their grandparents raising them], or for their siblings. It gave them a sense of pride to be able to do that…“It’s interesting, too, because in the morning when [the kids] all showed up, there was this sense of awkwardness and nervousness, and everyone was weirdly quiet, and by the time these kids came back it was like night and day. You know, they were laughing, they were having a great time, they were excited, and it was just a complete turnaround.”
Perceived masters of the barbeque pit can sign up to compete in the on-site cook-off to benefit RCSO’s new Shop-With-A-Cop program by paying a $25 fee and filling out an entry form. The cooks determined by a panel of judges through a taste test to have the best pork and beef ribs will each receive one of the $500 cash prizes donated by Jeff’s Towing. Those interested in attending the event can look forward to sampling a plate of ribs with two sides, enjoying a live performance by bluegrass band Pinegrass, and having an opportunity to participate in both a silent and live auction. The cost to attend is $10. Tickets and entry forms are currently available at the RCSO front desk. To donate an auction item, Kruse asks that you contact her at kkruse@rc.mt.gov or by calling 406-499-7522.