Crime surge spurs city and county to work on strategy to improve public safety

Mar. 14—Yellowstone County and Billings leaders are taking strides to bolster public safety with new strategies aimed at reducing crime and resolving problems in the criminal justice system.

Four officials involved with the local effort shared their progress with a crowd of more than 100 during a public forum Wednesday morning in downtown Billings.

Yellowstone County Commissioner Mark Morse said with the sheriff running a "full house" of mostly felons, the commission is moving quickly to build a 72-hour jail to hold people who are arrested until their first court appearance.

The city has agreed to split $6 million construction cost with the county to help with ongoing overcrowding at the Yellowstone County Detention Facility. With the jam-packed jail now consistently above capacity, Morse said, law enforcement officers are often left with nowhere to take people they arrest.

"That demoralizes the police and makes taxpayers unhappy," he said.

The county is also working with the city on a shared records system for local courts. Morse said allowing judges to access all of the cases involving the same defendant will further relieve jail overcrowding and reduce inefficiencies in the criminal justice system.

The county is now taking bids from firms to look into long-term needs for the lockup, too. Once they have the research, Morse said, the commissioners will put a measure on the ballot to ask voters for the money to expand the jail or build a new one.

Yellowstone County Attorney Scott Twito said he's been tracking data from cases law enforcement brings to his office for possible prosecution and recidivism statistics that are "troubling." During the past two years, he said, almost half of the cases in the county have involved convicted criminals committing new offenses.

Billings City Councilwoman Jennifer Owen described the continued work she and others are doing to prevent crime and reduce recidivism. They're looking into ways to more effectively intervene once someone enters the criminal justice system and programs to help convicts successfully reintegrate into the community and workforce.

"We want to use every tool in the book," she said. "There's a huge opportunity for us to do more."

Owen said the overwhelming majority of crimes in the area are being driven by substance abuse and mental health issues and more than half the assaults are due to domestic violence.

"We have a problem with people not being safe in their own homes in this community," she said. "We need to acknowledge there are kids and families that are hurting."

One of the most effective ways to help is to get involved with a local youth mentoring program, Owen said.

Billings Public Schools Superintendent Erwin Garcia is also working on ways to help kids feel safe and connected so they can succeed.

He said the district has about 260 students dropout every year, which makes them more likely to become involved with crime and violence.

Garcia pointed to statistics that show students who do not achieve reading proficiency by the end of third grade are four times more likely to dropout. In Billings, 35% of third graders now fall into that category.

The likelihood increases to six times for those living in poverty and students of color are eight times more likely to dropout, Garcia said. So he's launching a program in August that will allow 300 4-year-olds in low-income neighborhoods to start school early.

SD2 is also creating three new charter schools to help keep students engaged and help those who are struggling.

Garcia is also taking measures to make sure students are safe so they can focus their studies. A recent district survey showed 35% of Billings students and teachers don't feel safe at school.

SD2 is planning to put an elementary and high school safety levy on the ballot in May. Garcia said the money would pay for school counselors, nurses, mental health professionals, gang prevention specialists and safety coordinators as well as cameras and other security upgrades.

But, he isn't waiting for voters to pass a levy to take action. He said SD2 is increasing the mental-health resources available to teachers and is bringing in anti-bullying, character development and mentoring programs for students.

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