Missoula Police 2024 Annual Report: Key Insights Explained

On May 1, 2025, the Missoula Police Department released its 2024 Annual Report. Chief Mike Colyer was excited to present this report to provide insight into the department, highlight the accomplishments of their valuable team members, and describe the issues they’re addressing in Missoula.

“We continue to enjoy support from Mayor Davis’s office and the City Council in modernizing our equipment,” Colyer said. “In 2024, we fully implemented the Axon digital evidence system, and this advancement has resulted in capturing video of 99.6 percent of use-of-force incidents, an increase of 13.6 percent from 2022.”

As Missoula’s population, jurisdiction, and street mileage have grown, so have overall statistics.

“From 2022-2024, the total number of police incidents are up 5.5% to 55,033,” Colyer said. “Included in those, traffic incidents such as DUI arrests and injury crashes are up 3.8 and 34.9 percent, respectively. Notable changes in crime include increases of 5.8 and 17.5 percent in theft and disorderly conduct, respectively. However, I am thrilled that felony violent crime, the most serious offenses we investigate, has decreased 9.9 percent.”

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According to Colyer, misdemeanor assault and partner/family member assault cases are also down 11.4 and 5.1 percent, respectively.

“Like 2023, this year our officers used force in less than one percent of all police incidents,” Colyer said. “I am proud of our responsible use-of-force, which I attribute to hiring quality applicants, providing excellent training and equipment, close supervision, and a culture of force avoidance and conflict resolution.”

Colyer said their response to the fentanyl crisis is reflected in the production of the patrol officers and the multi-agency Missoula Drug Task Force (MDTF).

“The MDTF has prioritized fentanyl interdiction, resulting in the seizure of 35,591 dosage units, an increase of nearly 112% since 2022,” Colyer said. “We appreciate being a part of this local, state, and federal team, which benefits the greater Missoula area by disrupting and dismantling drug trafficking organizations.”

Colyer made sure to mention that none of this can be done without their outstanding support staff.

“Our Records Unit continues to report extremely accurate statistics, while Police Support Specialists and Community Service Specialists provide tremendous customer service at our facilities and in the field,” Colyer said. “Moving forward, we will continue to emphasize efforts to improve recruitment and retention, implement and assess new technology, and seek improvements to our facilities.”

Colyer thanks you for taking the time to learn about the MPD, which he said is his highest honor to lead.