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Daniels County explores public-safety commission as it reviews law-enforcement interlocal agreement
Summary
County commissioners reviewed an interlocal law-enforcement agreement with the city and discussed forming a Public Safety Commission to give the sheriff more operational autonomy while raising questions about oversight, equipment inventory and funding; staff will return with a revised interlocal agreement and inventory.
Daniels County commissioners reviewed an interlocal agreement for general law-enforcement services and discussed creating a Public Safety Commission under Montana law to streamline some sheriff department expenditures and operations.
The commission concept discussed by county staff would include two county appointees, two city appointees and the sheriff as the fifth voting member. Proponents said the panel could let the sheriff act more quickly on equipment and training purchases that now require commissioner approval, and could be structured to supplement pay or provide small incentives for key positions.
Why it matters: commissioners said the county’s large geography and patchwork radio coverage make timely law-enforcement decisions important. Supporters argued a commission could reduce administrative delay for purchases and training; opponents said it could weaken commissioner oversight of taxpayer dollars and allow expenditures without sufficient accounting.
Board members pressed for details. Commissioners asked for a current, county-level inventory of equipment now assigned to the sheriff and to the city, citing uncertainty over which items were transferred under earlier agreements. Several speakers emphasized evidence-control gaps that have been recently addressed through renovations and recommended a fireproof evidence storage solution and clearer chain-of-custody procedures.
Concerns cited included past instances where law-enforcement purchasing created friction; one commissioner said prior arrangements had allowed spending that later required returns or corrections and urged stronger checks. Commissioners also asked for clarity on whether the sheriff’s department would continue to receive general-fund support, how payroll and billing would be handled, and what statutory limits would apply to pay and incentives.
Next steps: staff committed to circulate an updated draft of the interlocal agreement and a current equipment/inventory list and to return to the board with a more concrete proposal and answers to the commissioners’ questions. No final action to create a commission was taken at the meeting.
At the meeting: county staff presented the proposal and led the discussion; several commissioners raised procedural and oversight concerns. The sheriff’s office was described as improving paperwork timeliness and evidence storage but still needing facility upgrades for long-term evidence preservation.
The board did not vote on forming a Public Safety Commission at this meeting and scheduled follow-up discussion once the interlocal draft and inventory are available.
