Hi-Line Living - Hill County celebrates its officers

Hill County does not have a shortage of law enforcement agencies.

The Havre Police Department, Rocky Boy Police Department, Hill County Sheriff's Office, Montana Highway Patrol, U.S. Border Patrol, FBI and the Tri-Agency Safe Trails Task Force - a drug task force made of officers from the police department, the sheriff's office and the FBI - are all agencies that are able to respond to a local concern within minutes. There have been many times when multiple said agencies have responded to the scene.

President Barack Obama proclaimed last week National Community Policing week, an effort by the Department of Justice to help build stronger relationships between law enforcement and the communities they serve.

U.S. Attorney for Montana, Michael Cotter, said in a statement last week that the occasion gave Montanans "a reason to reflect on the courage and commitment of the federal, state, tribal and local law enforcement officers who live in our communities, large and small, and serve them so well."

Local officers not only protect and serve the community, but many of them participate in charity events and other community celebrations, such as Shop with a Cop and National Night Out.

Shop with a Cop is a program in which children nominated by agencies and schools are paired with uniformed police officers who treat them to a day of shopping as the holiday season approaches.

National Night Out takes place in early August. The event gives law enforcement, emergency services providers and the communities they serve the chance to have fun and get to know each other while strengthening relations between the two.

Officers also attend nonprofit kids events such as Bear Paw Credit Union Kids Day in Pepin Park, the Hill County Health Department Lil' Shots Carnival and Story Time, the Christmas hayride and Kiss the Pig at Havre-Hill County Library. They take part in the Santa Run and the Special Olympics torch run. They give blood and are there at Festival Days and the Christmas tree lighting.

The most recent celebration of law enforcement was National Thank a Police Officer Day Sept. 17, during Festival Days.

Laura Eller, wife of Sgt. Jesse Eller of the Havre Police Department, helped bring attention to the day.

She said the schools got involved and the kids wrote thank-you cards and letters; people were encouraged to thank a police officer when they saw one; Pizza Hut donated pizza to the day and night shifts of the city department; and McDonald's donated a table for eight at the Death by Chocolate dinner theater put on a few weeks ago.

Fewer people feel more concern and anxiety about officers than the men and women married to them.

Rianna Cassidy is married to Detective Brian Cassidy of the Havre Police Department. Det. Cassidy is part of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which focuses on finding child predators lurking on the internet. The job can entail very disturbing scenarios and images because the task force specializes in sexual images that are illegal.

Rianna said her husband is not allowed to discuss details of his work, but she can sometimes tell when he's been affected by the job.

And while Det. Cassidy's job does not require he be on the streets like other officers, Rianna says there are still safety concerns.

Det. Cassidy is often a witness in sex cases, and this, she said, has led to occasional stalking. She said her husband has told her, at times, that the car parked outside their home belonged to someone connected to a recent case. The Cassidys have had to call for extra patrols around their home multiple times, she said.

Rianna Cassidy said that their family also limits the public places they go. Due to the nature of his job, and the size of Havre, Det. Cassidy prefers not to run into "certain people" and so avoids certain places.

"I feel restricted in this town - we kind of lose anonymity," she said.

Jenna Holt is married to Officer Joshua Holt, who is a school resource officer at Havre public schools during the school year and works at the police department during the summer.

Jenna Holt said she always gets anxious when there are reports of a "scary" event going on in town.

"It's scary sometimes because you don't know what he's dealing with," she said.

She said one of the scariest moments was when there was a bomb threat at Havre High last year. But the anxiety has a limit.

"I had confidence Josh and the school could handle it," she said.

One time she was told that she saw her husband chasing someone, and that worried her a little. Later on, she said, she received a reassurance text - he was OK - and that always helps, the reassurance text.

"I pray for him and the team, that the whole situation ends peacefully so everyone comes to home to their loved one," she said.

But it's not all anxiety and safety concerns for officers' wives.

For Rianna Cassidy, the family-like atmosphere between officers and their families is something she's grateful for.

And there's also the support.

"I feel there's a lot of people appreciative of what he does," she said. "That makes me proud."

Jenna Holt said she too has heard grateful words - "tell your husband thank you" - and she definitely appreciates it.

Jenna Holt is proud of her husband and she's happy that he does what he does.

"He's in a job that suits him and he does a good job," she said.