KALISPELL — Two years after Kalispell voters approved a $4.6 million levy to boost emergency services, the Kalispell Police Department says the numbers show the investment is paying off.
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Before 2024, the department was stretched thin, according to Kalispell Police Patrol Capt. Chad Fetveit.
"We were grossly understaffed, violent crime was up and our response times were up. They were up over nine minutes," Fetveit said.
Voters approved the levy in March 2024, with 58% in favor. The measure funded new staff for fire, police, and EMS, along with new fire engines and a fire station. For the Kalispell Police Department, it meant 10 new officers and a crime analyst with a data-driven approach to deployment.
"We sift through our prior issues or hotspot areas within the city of Kalispell and were able to really hone down on where the crimes and the crashes are happening. From there, we use that information to effectively deploy officers," Fetveit said.
The data also changed how officers are assigned across the city.
"They're assigned specific zones. We went from four zones to three zones and increased our officers assigned to those zones," Fetveit said.
The results, according to the Kalispell Police Department, are significant. Response times that averaged over nine minutes are now down to under four minutes in 2026. Property crimes are down 41.8% and felony arrests are down 15.6%.
Fetveit credits the levy for the trend.
"I think having our property crimes, violent crimes, misdemeanor crimes trending down is a direct correlation to officer presence. We're seeing a significant reduction in crime," Fetveit said.
Fetveit said he hopes the community feels the difference.
"I can safely tell you that we are a safer community because of it. We're quicker to respond when people call 9-1-1," Fetveit said.
