GFPD Police Blotter – Recap of 2024

It's hard to believe we're already one month into the new year. Here's a brief recap of 2024 and a few interesting calls we've responded to recently. Note, these statistics are preliminary, we are still preparing our end of year report. GFPD 2024 STATS38,922 Calls For Service1,730 Abandoned Vehicles1,039 Alarms134 Barking Complaints314 Assaults154 Auto Thefts3,299 Disturbances178 DUIs1,346 Vehicle Crashes886 Shoplifts 2:30AM - Officer warned a person they would be cited for Privacy in Communications if they sent further messages to their co-worker, after they sent more than 80 unwanted texts in an hour. A person called 911 to report they had done meth earlier and were experiencing chest pain and a burning feeling all over their body. Officers determined the person just wanted a ride to the hospital. Officers remanded a person to the Cascade County Sheriff/Coroner's Office Detention Center for trespass to property and obstructing a peace officer after officers had to physically remove them from a doghouse in the back yard of a residence. A driver was cleared of wrongdoing after officers determined their passenger was intoxicated and jumped out of the moving vehicle of their own free will. A community member was arrested and charged with making a false report after causing a Code 3 response from Great Falls Fire Rescue and Great Falls Emergency Services. The person said they saw a bug crawl out of the couch, followed by smoke, so they called 911 and reported a fire. Officers noted there was no evidence of a fire or fire damage. Officer cited a driver for unsafe vehicle and no insurance after they performed a traffic stop on a vehicle going down the road with a completely flat tire. Officers cleared a noise complaint as unfounded after they arrived to investigate a report of someone blasting an air horn and found a front loader working nearby, with a loud reverse warning beep. An officer aided a homeowner in closing the door to their attached garage, after the officer found it open at 2:35AM. The homeowner said a child left the door open. A driver was cited for a first offense DUI and criminal possession of a toxic substance after crashing into parked vehicles. An investigation revealed the driver had been huffing air cleaner prior to the crash and immediately after the crash, while still seated in the car. The driver sustained minor injuries and no others were physically harmed. Officers responding to a 911 call, found a person wearing only sunglasses, a headband, and a fanny pack, pressing their naked body against the large plate glass window of an occupied business. The person was charged with disorderly conduct, because they disturbed the peace by creating a hazardous or physically offensive condition by any act that serves no legitimate purpose. 911 dispatchers received report of a vehicle following a small barefoot child, with the driver yelling at the child. Officers located a distraught parent driving the vehicle and their 7-year-old child walking alongside. The parent told officers the child was defiantly walking away because they did not want to go to the other parent’s house. An officer intervened and instructed the child to get into the vehicle and listen to their parent. The child obeyed, but wasn’t happy about it. A delivery driver called 911 to report someone was following them. The driver said the vehicle had tinted windows and was currently slightly around a corner watching them, making them uncomfortable. An officer arrived to discover the person in the vehicle was the driver’s supervisor, who was performing a performance and safety observation. Officers were dispatched to a fast food establishment to investigate someone asleep in the driver’s seat, in the drive-thru. Officers found the person passed out in their vehicle with it running and in gear. Officers placed a patrol car in front of the vehicle, to ensure safety and woke the person. Officers performed field sobriety tests but did not observe signs of impairment. The driver told officers a close family member had recently attempted suicide and they hadn’t been sleeping much since then. The restaurant manager invited the person to get some food, park, and take some time to rest before driving again. A driver was cited for using a hand-held electronic device after an officer observed them driving and scrolling on their phone. Driver admitted they were setting up a book to listen to. Officers were called to help with a combative patient at a health care facility. When they arrived the patient had calmed down and was leaving but not before challenging the officers to arm wrestle. An officer on patrol at 4 AM, came upon a person laying in the grass, not moving. The officer found the person to be so intoxicated they couldn't walk. The officer learned the person was in town for a party and was able to track down the location of their AirBNB, where they were safely deposited. Officers met a distraught parent at the Emergency Department after the parent called 911 to report their teen child had been drugged. The child was drowsy, unable to speak in full sentences, and completely unaware of what was going on. Officers determined the teen had consumed marijuana gummies from a baggie left on a table, while visiting a relative. The parent and the officer did not think the teen knew they were marijuana gummies. The parent agreed to have a talk with their child about eating things without knowing what they are, after the teen sobered up. A driver was cited for careless driving after going around a marked police car, with its top lights on, that was blocking an injury crash scene. The driver drove over the curb and onto the sidewalk to go around the patrol car, substantially putting first responders and those involved in the crash, in immediate danger. A driver was cited for running a red light. Here are the officer’s redacted notes, “I was traveling southbound on ----- and I came to a stop at a red traffic signal at the intersection of -----. The above vehicle was stopped at the red traffic signal directly in front of me. While the light was still red, the vehicle drove through the intersection. I waited for the light to turn green and then I made a traffic stop on the vehicle...” An officer, on patrol at 2:30AM, saw a person laying on the ground, near the street. The officer found the elderly person had fallen and couldn’t get up. Officer helped the person to their feet and gave them a ride home.