Missoula Police Chief Mark Muir and his officers are angry and sad about the Seattle area shootings. Muir wonders what's happening to society when shootings like this happen.
Luitenent Rich McLane, of the Bozeman Police Department says "It brings it close to home. The dangers we face, every day that we go to work. Even when you're just getting coffee."
Muir followed with "It always hits home despite the several hundred miles of distance between here and there."
Chief Muir thought about getting coffee with some officers over the weekend when he heard about the murders. Saying "That could've been at mullan station at 10:30 on Friday night as easy as it was in Parkland."
Next, he talked with his wife about what happened and how bad it hurt to hear. He considers himself lucky to have a wife to talk to, some officers don't have that option.
All are encouraged to talk to each other about what's going on and how they feel. And also how to keep situations like that from happening in their communities.
Officers aren't the only ones departments put a focus on. Families of the officers often need someone to talk to because of fear that it could happen to their spouse.
Muir said of some officers "Sometimes officers feel the need to protect their loved ones from that kind of information. They(family members) aren't as in tune as we are with the risks their family members are facing."
Muir takes it a step further. Anytime an officer is killed, the Chief sends a letter to the chief of the fallen, expressing his sorrow. He had four he was getting ready to sign, he now has four more to write.
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