by Elisa Schlosser
HELENA – The Montana Highway Patrol has released a report outlining the results of a public opinion survey conducted in the summer of 2018. The public opinion survey was conducted to give Montana residents and visitors a voice so that the Montana Highway Patrol can continue to improve its efforts and better utilize its resources on behalf of the community. The Patrol conducted the survey in partnership with OrgVitality LLC., a consultancy firm that specialized in public opinion surveys.
“As part of our community policing efforts, we felt it was very important to take the pulse of the public,” said Colonel Tom Butler, chief administrator of the Montana Highway Patrol. “Taking a step back to receive feedback is a vital part of our ongoing efforts to work with the public to create safer communities. We want to make sure that we’re headed in the right direction,” he concluded.
Business cards with information about the survey were provided by troopers to every contact they had with the public beginning in June 2018 and ending in September 2018. Links to the survey were also made available via the media and MHP social media channels. The survey was offered in both English and Spanish. The survey report is now available to the public at the Patrol’s website: https://media.dojmt.gov/wp-content/uploads/Montana-public-presentation.FINAL_.pdf
Yellowstone County News reached out to Montana Highway Patrol’s Captain Jim Hunter and learned that Colonel Butler was inspired to conduct the survey after discovering high levels of success with a similar survey conducted in Colorado when he attended the IACP Conference this past year. Hunter stated, “We received overwhelming positive results and I think it will shape how we make decisions both internally and externally going forward.”
