Weekend Tragedies in Great Falls Highlight a Growing Concern We Can’t Ignore Anymore

Over the weekend, law enforcement in Great Falls responded to two separate violent calls, both involving stabbings. The tragic incidents coupled with recent data released by Electric City Citizens for Public Safety in Great Falls, highlights a real concern: our law enforcement needs more support.

Law Enforcement Demand in Great Falls is Changing

Things are changing quickly in Great Falls and one thing is clear: as we continue to grow, so will the need for public safety. Over the weekend our officers were stretched thin while responding to two separate incidents.

"Both incidents stretched response capabilities causing GFPD to prioritize an 'emergency only' response for the remainder of the night," Great Falls Police Department said on their Facebook.

ALSO READ: Montana Medicaid Fraud Unit Uncovers Largest Fraud in the Unit's History

"We're grateful for the 911 dispatchers who did an outstanding job managing the response of law enforcement and emergency medical personnel. And we'd like to thank Cascade County Sheriff/Coroner's Office for their ongoing partnership, as their deputies filled in and responded to other calls, when no Great Falls MT Police Department officers were available."

Now, this isn't necessarily on the fault of our officers but that should sound concerning to most of us... right?

Do Our First Responders Have Enough Help?

The Electric City Citizens for Public Safety shared data from 2025 that has some people raising their eyebrows, myself included - mostly due to the fact that there's a good chance that these numbers have increased or similar to this year.

According to information they shared, the City of Great Falls and Cascade Emergency Call Center took 135,165 total calls in 2025 or one call every 3.89 minutes.

Get our free mobile app

That means our first responders, our dispatch workers, etc... they're busy and at a risk of being stretched thin 24/7.

And look, I'm not saying that people shouldn't expect to work when they clock in but can we all agree the job duties of a first responder are little different than that of say, I don't know, a radio guy writing articles in the comfort of a studio?

Safety Levy Failure in 2023

Back in 2023, the City Commission decided to let voters decide on a $10 million operational public safety levy to the November 2023 ballot when voters ultimately rejected the levy with a 5,620 voting "Yes" and 9,095 voting "No."

Is it time to reconsider and find a way to allocate the money necessary to support our first responders?

READ MORE: 20-Year-Old Sentenced for Selling Fentanyl Out of a Motel in Great Falls

As Great Falls continues to grow, the demand will only continue to increase so why not get in front of it now instead of waiting for more incidents?

Thank you to our first responders for keeping us safe and being there when we need you; it's time we show them the same kind of support.

Share your thoughts with us HERE.