The Blotter

Imagine that you are currently in Powell County, Montana, and you're nowhere near a big town.  Don't sweat the details, such as where exactly Powell County is or what it's like.  Do your best and imagine.

Now imagine that you went to the only restaurant within 12 miles of your RV park, and that they sold exactly the burger you expected them to.  As you take a big bite while sitting at the counter next to the cash register and observing the many signs saying things like "If you don't like the service, leave" and "NO WHINING," you observe a copy of the Silver State Post sitting next to you, and you are intrigued.

The Silver State Post is the local newspaper for the people of Powell County, which is located in west Montana between Butte and Missoula, with a population of 7,027.  Its population density is 3 residents per square mile.  The Silver State Post contains many stories about crime, politics, and forest fires.

It also contains "The blotter."

The blotter fills nearly an entire page of newsprint, and as far as I can tell, it faithfully records all public interactions with the sheriff's office dispatch in the county over the past week.  It records these interactions day by day, in journal form, with a little description next to each entry.  

Here are some entries, all quoted verbatim from the blotter itself:

"July 23, 21:05 - A 911 call with a child on the end who would not answer and then hung up.  The call was untraceable.  The child called back again, said he peed his pants and then hung up."

"July 21, 21:05 - A 911 call came in and when dispatch attempted to call back they got a fax number."

"July 19, 14:16 - Report of a medical pendant alarm.  An officer advised the subject accidentally activated the alarm."  

"July 20, 06:07 - Report of four steers out on a road."

"July 20, 17:48 - Report of possible smoke by the railroad ties along Hwy 12 mm 14.  Responders did not see any smoke."

"July 21, 11:44 - Report of an elderly woman waving down traffic for someone to take her to the senior citizens center.  An officer advised he helped the woman to her house and that the woman said she thought it was Wednesday and that is why she was trying to flag down a ride to the senior center.  She was wanting lunch from there and now has nothing to eat."

"July 25, 01:10 - Report of a person who ran out of fuel on Hwy 141 mm 1.  No deputy was available so [Montana Highway Police] was notified.  The caller said they would try to make it to the next town.  The driver called back wanting to know where help was."  

"July 25, 11:29 - A caller advised a woman was flipping out and she needs to go to Warm Springs.  He said she has not destroyed any property and she is only yelling and packing her things."  

"July 21, 15:39 - A caller reported a person threatened him over Facebook not to come back to Deer Lodge."

"July 22, 20:34 - A man came in and advised he is traveling through and has no money.  He was given a motel, food and a gas voucher."

* * * 

There are reports of arrest warrants served, traffic stops made, and crimes committed.  Those are interesting in their own right.  But I was captivated by the little slices of life captured in the other entries -- the false starts, the entirely human mess-ups, and the moments when somebody lent a hand to someone else who needed it.  

Long live the blotter.