With just a few weeks left until the game-changing vote, the Bozeman Public Safety Center saga continues, now raising questions about how public resources work together.
Citizens have been faced with several iterations of the new safety center proposition before, but have always denied them. This time, however, the city plans to combine all of its safety needs into a single location.
In his Facebook post announcing his opposition, Gootkin specifically mentioned the Bozeman Fire Department (who would be housed in the safety center with the police, city courts, and victim’s services), saying that “replacing [the Sheriff’s Office] with firefighters who have very different duties and responsibilities does not make you safer.”
Crawford and Bozeman Fire Chief Josh Waldo understand that people may not see how the fire and police departments are so closely linked.