POLSON — A deadly shooting earlier this month in Polson has left some residents questioning their safety.
Rachel Ouellette, who lives just blocks away from where the deadly shooting occurred, said the incident caught her off guard.
"I was surprised at first, kind of just in shock," Ouellette said.
The proximity of the violence to her home has her thinking about worst-case scenarios.
"It made me think of the bullet and if we lived closer, and even though we had nothing to do with it, that it could penetrate our house," Ouellette said.
Watch to learn more about safety concerns being voiced in Polson:
She believes crime is becoming a significant problem in her hometown.
"The theft and violence is what I've seen most lately. It's been bad, but lately I see it getting worse," Ouellette said.
Police say they're doing what they can to battle crime in Polson, but as rates grow, the number of officers has remained the same: 15 for a population of now over 6,000.
"You can probably ask any chief in the country right now, and they would say, 'Yeah, I need more money for more officers, more training, and more equipment'," Polson Chief of Police George Simpson said.
Simpson says it's not that crime is necessarily on the rise, but other underlying factors like jail overcrowding, staffing shortages, and drug-related crimes are contributing to the problem.
"We have seen a rise in meth and fentanyl," Simpson said.
In small communities like Polson, police encourage residents to report suspicious activity quickly.
"The quicker we get notified of when something might happen, the quicker we can address it. If it is a strange car in the neighborhood, someone they haven't seen before, something out of the ordinary, call the police. If you ask yourself if I should call, that's when you should call," Simpson said.
With just 15 officers on the force, Simpson says they rely on help from other departments to handle crimes like the recent incidents in Polson.
"Based on what we're seeing, fear is not the way to go based on the crime trends we're seeing, but I will say officers were there, our partners were there to help, well-trained, prepared. We're ready to meet any challenges that come out," Simpson told MTN.
For Ouellette, being a mother means her family's safety is always on her mind.
"I think that's the biggest thing is the safety of my children and not having to worry about them getting harmed if they go out," Ouellette said.
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