COLSTRIP POLICE DEPARTMENT PRESS RELEASE
Larry S. Reinlasoder Chief of Police
Colstrip Police Department, PO Box 9, Colstrip, MT 59323
(406) 748-3004/2211 FAX 748-4832 E-Mail: policechief@bhwi.net
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 11-4-2004

COLSTRIP POLICE DEPARTMENT GETS A BOOST IN FUNDING

COLSTRIP, MONTANA- The Colstrip Police Department was selected as one of six police departments across the United States to receive technical assistance from the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the U.S. Department of Justice that is to be used to establish volunteer programs in their communities.
The grant will be used to promote awareness in existing volunteer programs such as Neighborhood Block Watch, Crimestoppers, DARE, and McGruffSafe Houses as well as starting up new community programs like a Community Crime Prevention Council (CCPC). This grant will enable the Police Department to recruit volunteers through presentations to community groups such as the Coistrip Senior Citizens and various media outlets.
The City of Colstrip, which incorporated in 1998, made the decision to develop a Police Department this year. Previously they contracted with the Rosebud County Sheriff's Department, which handled law enforcement in Colstrip. The recently started Police Department went into effect in September of this year. Larry Reinlasoder was hired as the first Colstrip Chief of Police in May 2004 and charged with the task of developing the new department. Reinlasoder retired from the Billings Police Department as the Lieutenant in charge of Training and Planning. He was instrumental in developing the city's Community Oriented Policing (C.O.P.) program, which included the Cop Shops and police volunteer program. He had also been involved in the supervision of the crime prevention programs and police recruiting. The Billings Police Department gained national recognition for their community policing efforts.