Montana Capitol honors officers, launches chaplaincy support discussion

The Montana Capitol marked Police Week by reading the names of 144 fallen Montana officers, a roll call of sacrifice that tied Helena’s public-safety debates to more than ceremony. In the seat of state government in Lewis and Clark County, the observance also put a new focus on how Montana agencies are trying to care for the officers still working the streets.

Jason Johnson, the Montana Department of Justice deputy chief of staff and a former Missoula County undersheriff, said he wants to help launch a new DOJ chaplaincy program for officers. The program is meant to provide mental health and spiritual support, and Johnson said it was just beginning to interview candidates. His remarks pushed the event beyond remembrance and into an internal question facing law enforcement agencies statewide: how to support people whose work can wear down judgment, morale and resilience over time.

The ceremony drew its meaning from the larger framework of National Police Week, which includes the Candlelight Vigil, the Concerns of Police Survivors conference and the National Peace Officers Memorial Service in Washington, D.C. Peace Officers Memorial Day, observed May 15, was designated by President John F. Kennedy in a 1963 proclamation after Congress authorized it the year before. The Montana reading of 144 names, dating back to 1878, underscored how long that sacrifice has been part of the state’s public life.

That same theme was front and center at the 2024 Capitol ceremony, when Montana Highway Patrol Colonel Kurt Sager said the observance was for remembering those who had fallen or been seriously injured and the officers who answer the call every day. That year, the Capitol also recognized Troopers Barb Armstrong and Lewis Johnson. Lewis Johnson had been severely injured on duty two years earlier, and he said the attention on his recovery should remind people that men and women are still out there doing the job.

The Department of Justice also used National Police Week this year to promote its fifth annual Law Enforcement Appreciation Poster Contest. Brooke Murphy, a fifth-grade student at Hellgate Intermediate in Missoula, won the contest, and her class was rewarded with an ice cream party and $750 from Stockman Bank. In Helena, the message from the Capitol was clear: honor the fallen, support the living, and build the next generation’s understanding of what public safety service asks of Montana.