Montana officers train in Helena to strengthen sexual assault cases

More than 100 law enforcement officers and prosecutors gathered in Helena for a three-day push to make sexual assault cases stronger from the first report through the courtroom. The Montana Department of Justice called the course Strengthening Sexual Assault Investigations and Prosecutions, and it carried 20.5 CLE credit hours for the officers and attorneys who filled the room.

The stakes reach far beyond the Capitol complex. In a state where agency resources can vary sharply from county to county, organizers said better training can change what happens for survivors in Lewis and Clark County and across rural Montana, where one response can shape whether a victim keeps moving forward. State estimates underscore the need: roughly one in three women, one in two Native women and one in six men will experience sexual assault in their lifetime.

The agenda focused on the parts of a case that can make or break it. Presenters covered trauma-informed interviewing, victim responses to trauma, ethical issues in sexual and domestic violence cases, sexual assault forensic exams, evidence kits and DNA analysis, and pre-trial and trial techniques. The course also tackled how to move beyond a simple he said/she said framework, a point that goes directly to the quality of reports, the handling of evidence and the coordination between investigators, prosecutors and advocates.

That coordination was central to the training’s purpose. The Department of Justice’s Office of Victim Services said the event was open only to law enforcement officers and prosecuting attorneys, with 50 slots set aside for each group. All 50 law-enforcement slots filled, and a waitlist opened. The Montana Board of Crime Control said remaining prosecutor slots would be released to people on the law-enforcement waitlist on April 10, 2026. The training was listed as free to attend.

Officials have tied the course to a larger system already in motion. Montana’s victim-services network includes Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner online training, the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, the Forensic Rape Examination Payment Program and victim advocacy resources. The Department of Justice also issued a May 2026 reference titled Investigating Sexual Assault: A Law Enforcement Reference for Trauma-Informed Interviewing and Report Writing, signaling that the Helena training was meant to reinforce an ongoing toolkit, not stand alone.

That broader effort has already drawn federal support. Montana received a $2.1 million federal grant in 2023 to continue testing and investigating sexual assault kits, part of a statewide strategy that officials say is meant to show survivors they are believed and that their cases will be pursued. Speaker bios for the Helena training listed Derek Mahlum, Madelyn Heat and Kerri among the trainers with experience working across law enforcement, prosecution, advocacy, medical and court settings.

For Helena, the event also reflected the city’s role as Montana’s hub for public safety and legal training. For Lewis and Clark County, the test will be practical: whether officers, prosecutors and advocates leave with better interviews, cleaner reports, stronger evidence handling and tighter case coordination that survivors can feel long after the training room empties.