LINCOLN — With over three million acres of wilderness in Montana, it can be difficult for law enforcement to get to where they need to go, so training and planning are necessary for jobs where time can make or break a case.
The Lewis and Clark County Sheriff's Office partnered with the FBI and U.S. Forest Service for the field training exercises.
(Watch to see how various law enforcement agencies work together for backcountry investigations)
Undersheriff Brent Colbert organized the training and scenarios, and on Monday, the officers became familiar with the equipment they can use in wilderness areas.
"A lot of times, the things you could use a helicopter for or that kind of a thing – you can't," Undersheriff Colbert said. "Four-wheelers or motorized vehicles, you can't use those back there; you have to use a different mode of transportation such as horses and mules."
Equipment is just one part of the equation; the training also helps learn interagency communications and systems.
"If something does happen, it's not the first time that you're seeing these people that you're going to be working with," said Colbert. "You know who they are, you know what they do, and you know what they can do."
(Undersheriff Colbert talks about the goals of the training.)
After Monday's initial training, the group of officers headed into the Scapegoat Wilderness Area.
I met up with them after they investigated two mock crime scenes in the backcountry for three consecutive days – sleeping in tents and collecting evidence.
"For the most part, we are so lucky to live in a place like Montana that has so much wild country and so much remoteness, but there are times when it becomes a real challenge," said Caroline Marshall, FBI supervisory senior resident agent. "Something like this has happened and probably will happen again in the near future. That's why it's so important to train as we play."
Officers had to be selective on what equipment, food, and clothing they brought.
They had to pack it seven miles in and seven miles out on horses and mules.
"When you have a crime scene in town or within driving distance, you can bring out our big incident command vehicle. You can have lighting, you can work around the clock, you can do different shifts, you can bring in people. You'll have quite a bit of resources than just people," said Lewis and Clark Sheriff and Coroner Leo Dutton. "Backcountry, you can't do that."
(Sheriff Dutton discusses some of the challenges these trainings bring.)
The training showed the officers from different agencies that there are more people they can depend on than just those they work with daily.
"They don't have to go alone," said Chad Scussel, US Forest Service special agent in charge for the northern region. "They can and they will because that's the job, but there's a broader resource out there that we can tap into to be able to help us all."
So, how does Undersheriff Colbert feel after a year of planning the training?
"They all worked together great not only in the exercise but afterwards and beforehand," he said.
