“Zone 5” is the designation the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office uses to describe the Seeley-Swan-Blackfoot area of the county. Since 2015, this zone has benefited greatly due to the emphasis placed on rural law enforcement by the current Missoula County Sheriff, T. J. McDermott.
Since taking office, he has doggedly sought to provide a third, resident deputy to enhance coverage in both time and space in the area. The first attempt to provide the third deputy had to be aborted after a year and a half, but Sheriff McDermott persisted and now we have a new candidate who is about to move his family into the Seeley Lake area to become steadfast members of the community.
Besides solving the difficult personnel issue, Sheriff McDermott has upgraded vehicles and equipment and brought our local law enforcement unit online with those in more densely populated areas of the county and state.
In addition, Seeley-Swan Search and Rescue (SSSAR) has had a great benefactor in the current sheriff and his administration. He readily understands the outstanding service this unit provides for the county citizens and the larger community in general. Considering this, he has assisted in the acquisition of additional equipment and capabilities for the SSSAR and has repeatedly bestowed individual awards and accolades upon deserving members of this fine organization, as well as the organization itself.
If you watch closely, at various times you will see Sheriff McDermott touring the Zone 5 area, stopping at various establishments, and checking in with the local resident deputies. While doing so, he consistently inquires as to what he can do for the area and the officers. In this way, he displays his deep concern for the citizens of the area and for the welfare of the officers in his charge.
Overall, Sheriff McDermott has set an extremely high standard for rural law enforcement that will be hard to top in the coming years. Citizens, who live in Zone 5 and in other rural areas of the county, can be very proud of what has been accomplished and look forward with great anticipation to even more progress in the future.
Reader Comments(0)