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Changing of the Guard at Sheriff's Office
Author: mt43news staff reporter

MT43 News Staff Reporter

A changing of the guard took place on March 24 in the Sheriff’s Office when Undersheriff Mark Wood took the helm and Nick Rauser stepped back. Wood brings to the office 46 years of experience in police work, having retired from the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department after 26 years. Wood, who is 60, has served in Broadwater County since 2016. He and his wife Liz, opened Wood’s Family Grill for several years before they closed and sold the property.

On Wednesday, April 1, Wood was appointed as interim sheriff by Broadwater County Commissioners at their regular meeting. That afternoon, Judge Kirk Flynn headed the ceremony to swear in Wood as interim sheriff amid family and friends at the Courthouse. Wood will run for the position in the upcoming election.

But it won’t be all fun and games, Wood pointed out in an interview. He comes to the office short two deputies and a tight budget. He runs a crew of 28, including 11 deputies, dispatchers, reserves and detention officers. In his new capacity, Wood promoted Captain Jamie Buck as Undersheriff and Sergeant Tony Cordova to Captain. He will be trying to fill one of the deputy positions.

When the Public Safety Mill Levy failed last year at a vote of 1008 for and 1608 against, the department’s budget was cut considerably, including funding for the newly formed School Resource Officer as well as monies to hire a deputy for South Broadwater.

At the time, Wood was responsible for building the department’s budget. He cut back deputy officer training programs and gasoline allowances for patrolling deputies. The Commissioners filled in the gap by giving him a limited amount he could spend from the county general fund, plus he could work with the Detention facility revenue and the policing contract with the City of Townsend. His office also looks for grant funding. He has lived within that budget so far. “We may need more money from the Commissioners – we’ll see,” he predicted.

Much of the budget depends on revenues from the Detention facility, which had begun the process of enlarging with 9 more beds. The original facility held 46 and is now capable of holding 55 inmates. While the number changes daily, the day of the interview, Wood said 48 people occupied the facility. While not a reliable source of revenue, the Sheriff’s office will be working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as a holding facility for their detainees.

As to changes in the office's policies and procedures, Wood indicated he would change little. “I agreed wholeheartedly with Nick, who pushed to get drugs off the streets and to keep a presence at our schools. But I also feel it is important to keep a high profile in the community to let people know we are out here doing our job. I helped implement ‘Proactive Patrols’ for deputies to drive through neighborhoods and in rural areas in Toston, Radersburg, the Wheatland area, Winston and the backside of the lake. I’m big on police presence because I feel it deters people planning on committing crimes when they see deputies around.”

He pointed out that the department had made a drug bust of “a lot” of drugs just days ago in Townsend.

He has a hard time wrapping his head around one of the department’s thorniest problems – sexual assault. “We have a great sexual assault detective who works through those cases, which take up to two years to travel through the court system. Sometimes we have as high as two cases a month.”

His immediate concern will be to fill the one empty deputy slot he must fill. That person will operate in South Broadwater out of the law enforcement office in the Headwaters Rest Stop building near the I90 Interchange. “We’ll put out the call for hiring. Hopefully, we can hire someone who lives in or near Three Forks,” he said.

Rauser, who now works as a deputy, will fill the School Resource Officer position starting next year. “Nick established that position. It’s his baby and what he is passionate about. He and I agree it is more than about the security in the schools: it’s about making connections with the kids, to let them know we can be trusted.”

Will the department try to float the mill levy again? He said the Commissioners and his department will weigh the pros and cons of putting the mill levy on the ballot a year from now. In the meantime, he will look for other sources of revenue along with his peers in the Montana Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association. He will be advocating at the next legislature for some possible funding.

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PhotoCredit: Nancy Marks, MT43 News Photographer
Image 1 Caption: Broadwater County Justice Court Judge Kirk Flynn officially swears in Mark Wood as Interim Sheriff. Wood will be a candidate for the office in the upcoming election. Nancy Marks, MT43 News Photographer