Chief of Bozeman Police Department ensures safety plans are months in making
EBS STAFF
A Wednesday Facebook post from the Bozeman Police Department shared words from the Bozeman Police Department Chief Jim Veltkamp about upcoming Bozeman Pride festivities. The letter began by acknowledging questions about safety plans.
Chief Veltkamp provided an overview of what has gone into planning for a safe weekend including communicating with the Bozeman Pride organizers and coordinating around each event. He explained that input from organizations is taken into careful consideration when planning.
“At times, we make location recommendations or suggest alternatives to portions of an event. This is done in the interest of safety after we have thoroughly investigated threats and evaluated the risk to the public. We follow this protocol with every event brought forward to us,” the letter stated.
“The Bozeman Police Department does not condone any kind of violence or intimidation and takes all threats of violence seriously,” the letter continued. The role of the department is to collect as much information about an event as possible, verify threats and respond accordingly with safety for all in mind, according to the letter.
“We care deeply about the safety of each and every member of our community and it is my hope that we have a peaceful, safe Pride week. If you are in attendance and feel unsafe, please alert us. In the event of a non-emergency, we ask that you please call (406) 582-2000 instead of 911,” Veltkamp’s letter concluded.
Bozeman Pride began on Monday and will hold events this weekend such as a pride stroll, block parties and a resource fair.
