The Helena Police Department has withdrawn from a regional drug task force after the agency decided to collaborate with U.S. Border Patrol agents. Police Chief Brett Petty announced the temporary exit from the Missouri River Drug Task Force during a city commissioners meeting Wednesday, citing concerns that the partnership could shift the department’s focus from drug enforcement to immigration enforcement.
The decision reflects a growing local tension over federal immigration enforcement cooperation, with Helena police citing a need to maintain focus on local drug crimes and residents wondering whether local police should be drawn into federal immigration priorities.
Petty said he decided to withdraw to ensure the police department kept its focus on drug enforcement rather than immigration work. “I decided to, for Helena PD, to temporarily withdraw from MRDTF because I wanna make sure and keep our focus here for Helena PD (on) the policing and the drug activity,” he told commissioners.
The Missouri River Drug Task Force, headquartered in Helena, includes law enforcement from Lewis and Clark, Gallatin, Park, Meagher, Madison, Broadwater, and Sweet Grass counties working with federal authorities to address drug trafficking. The task force had discussed deploying Border Patrol agents for over a year before formally agreeing last November to the arrangement, Petty said.
The planned deployment would place two agents in Helena and two in Bozeman. Petty said he has “some concerns” with the Border Patrol presence. He emphasized that the withdrawal was not permanent.
“This is not to say that we will never be a part of MRDTF ever again, but I think the best way to do this right now is not enter into that agreement and bring a brief pause to it and see how this actually plays out here locally in Helena,” Petty said.
The withdrawal will not affect the department’s capacity to address drug crime in Helena, Petty told commissioners. The police department’s drug investigator, currently assigned to the task force, will remain under the department’s direct authority as part of its criminal investigation division, he said.
The financial cost, however, is substantial. Helena police received $30,000 annually for participating in the drug task force. The department has already received half the payment but will not receive the remainder after the new fiscal year begins, Petty said.
The decision comes as Helena residents, particularly immigration advocates, have raised concerns about local police cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. About 30 people, most of whom were immigration advocates, attended the commissioners meeting.
Immigration advocate Ashley Fischer thanked Petty for the withdrawal. “I do appreciate that you have clearly heard from Helena citizens and taking action that you did on your withdrawal from commitment to the MRDTF,” Fischer said. “We do not have control over what is happening with the federal government, but we can do everything we can here to keep our community safe locally.”
Not all local law enforcement moved in the same direction. The East Helena City Council voted Tuesday to accept the agreement including Border Patrol activities. East Helena council member Wesley Feist said he was “proud to have voted to keep East Helena actively involved in the MRDTF, to help combat drug and human trafficking, along with assisting with drug crime investigation operations in our community.”