Mayor quashes police chief rumors, council offers support
Hey savvy news reader! Thanks for choosing local.
You are now reading
1 of 3 free articles.
ST. IGNATIUS – Members of the public and St. Ignatius Town Council spoke in support of new police chief Matt Connelly on June 2, despite an apparent onslaught of negative rumors about him.
Connelly was sworn in mid-May as police chief. He has more than a decade of law enforcement experience in Indian Country.
But Mayor Charley Gariepy said the rumor mill descended upon Connelly’s reputation, apparently for no reason.
“I’ve heard all kinds of rumors,” Gariepy said. “I made some calls on what rumors I heard and none of them were true. I have an idea of where these rumors started, but I can’t prove it … I asked him and I feel he’s been 100 percent honest with me and I want to nip this rumor thing in the bud right from the start. We have enough trouble keeping the police department.”
Councilman Roger Lemon was also bombarded with a rumor about Connelly.
“Instead of passing it on I contacted the gentlemen it supposedly happened to and found out that it never happened,” Lemon said. “That was the end of that. It was just not true.”
The council members said they have been pleased with Connelly’s performance thus far.
“I’ve heard nothing but good things,” Gariepy said. “The businesses say he’s stopped by and introduced himself. The people say he waves when he goes by, so everything is good.”
Dustin Burkhard of the Old Timer Café complained many months ago about the town not having a police chief. He made a point to come and stand up for Connelly. He said when an alarm tripped at the café Connelly arrived in three minutes, completely cleared the building and increased patrol in the area.
“That’s probably the fastest response time I’ve seen,” Burkhard said. “I can tell you in the short time Matt’s been here it’s been a pleasure to see him around town doing stuff.”
Burkhard said he would like to see Connelly stay for many years, and council members echoed the request.
