To say the East Helena Police Department was a shambles as 2022 began would be a major understatement. Following the chief’s ouster in the wake of charges of distributing child pornography, all the deputies resigned. The budget was a mess and many standard police processes like custody of evidence and security had long ago fallen by the wayside.
East Helena, in essence, had no police department – which is when Mike Sanders got a call asking him to take on the task of building a new one that could regain the community’s trust.
A longtime former officer of the Helena PD, and briefly East Helena’s police chief in 2018-19, Sanders had recently retired from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to manage security for the Montana Lottery. His wife had doubts about the East Helena job, but Sanders felt the call.
“I talked with some of the city leadership to get an idea of what they were looking for,” he recalled, sitting down with The Monitor in a City Hall conference room, a few weeks before his planned year-end retirement. “Their priorities and vision for the police department aligned with mine. And with the new mayor coming in, he was very focused on building the police, making sure they were paid adequately to attract good people.”
Mayor Kelly Harris, who took office in 2021, and the East Helena City Council had recently increased the starting police officer’s salary from $47,400 to $62,000, a 30% bump. As a result, the revived department attracted four promising deputies, who started work around the same time as Sanders, in February 2022.
“How often do you get to rebuild a police department from scratch?” he said. “That’s a real opportunity. I was willing to take on the challenge and there was a lot of weight on everybody’s shoulders.”
The first few weeks were tough. The department’s equipment was outdated, its patrol cars old and dilapidated. The most basic procedures and operations, like having a secure facility, tracking who was working when, and taking care of crucial evidence, were non-existent.
“It was insurmountable when you thought about the whole big mountain you have to take on,” said Sanders. “But I tried to instill in the officers – let’s just chip away at the list. We’re not going to get there in a year. We may not be there in two years. It may take three years. So just hop in, buckle up and join me because it’s going to be a bumpy ride.”
Sanders recalled the insults, referencing the previous leadership, from catcalling locals. “Our reputation with the public when we started was as low as it could be. We had people who would yell things out the window, derogatory stuff,” Sanders said. “My priority was to rebuild the confidence and trust within the community.”
His team went door to door, introducing themselves, visiting downtown businesses, spending time at local restaurants and hangouts. Sanders launched “Coffee with a Cop,” an hour or so during which folks could drop by a cafe and talk with an officer over a beverage.
They put new locks on the police department doors. They installed key fobs that recorded which officers were coming in and what time. They found funds for new pistols with red-dot sights and better patrol vehicles. They installed a lock and fob system for the evidence room.
“Our evidence room is now under 24-hour surveillance,” said Sanders. “There’s sign-in sheets, evidence books. It’s all the stuff that you’re supposed to have, everything most other departments in the state have.”
Sanders also had to rebuild trust with law enforcement partners – the Lewis & Clark County Sheriff’s Office, county attorney, district court, and Montana Highway Patrol – who’d struggled with East Helena’s failings for years.
“When I got here the East Helena Police Department couldn’t even bring a felony charge to the county attorney’s office because they wouldn’t listen due to the quality of cases that had been brought prior,” he said.
Sanders hit the road, meeting agency heads, laying out his vision and gradually rebuilding the confidence required for effective cooperation. He found a great deal of support. He and his department put in long hours, and around early 2023, Sanders started to sense shifting winds.
“We’d go sit down and chat with folks, in businesses, in people’s homes, and the old label that police officers are rigid and don’t have compassion, that just kind of flowed away,” he recalled. “I think it turned around faster than we expected. And, you know, it was actually a lot of fun.”
Sanders needed to feel comfortable about the direction of the department and the quality of officers in place before deciding to leave. He now feels like they’ve gotten there, and he’s not alone.
“I can’t say enough about Chief Sanders and the job he’s done for the city of East Helena. We were in dire need of some real guidance and I think we found the perfect guy,” said Mayor Kelly Harris. “He didn’t just create any police force. He’s leaving us a professional, functional and accountable unit. I think the citizens of this town owe him a debt of gratitude.”
Sanders took the time to thank all those who contributed to his police-building project, from Galaxy Roasting to the mayor and City Council, and from the department’s tech, cleaning, and janitorial staff to East Helena residents. He reserved special appreciation for his deputies.
“All of a sudden, one day, they’re prepared and confident and not asking you questions, how do I do this, how do I do that,” he said with a grin. “We’ve got sharp, accountable officers that want to be here…I think every one of them feels confident and is ready for the transition. It’s just unbelievably satisfying.”
Looking back, what Sanders views as most gratifying has been gaining residents’ approval. Nowadays, locals regularly tell him and his officers they’re doing quality work. “When you hear that, you take it to heart,” he said. “That’s very rewarding for me and my officers.”
Headed toward his Dec. 31 departure, Sanders is spending his last weeks in office enjoying being a police chief and bringing Deputy Chief Ed Royce, who is set to take over as interim chief, up to speed. He’s also looking back on an impressive career and a solid legacy.
“It’s been a great run for over 30 years,” he said. “I just thank God I was lucky to make it through healthy and safe and with as much joy that I’ve had in my job.”
Starting in January, Sanders expects to spend more time with family, and on the golf course, and to take care of a growing list of things he’s put off for years. But he did offer some advice for all those digging into a demanding job or seemingly impossible task.
“Work as if your loved ones – your siblings, parents, grandparents, your spouse – can see and hear everything you do,” said Sanders. “If you do that to the best of your ability, you’ll never have any disappointment about how you made it through the day.”