Attorney General Austin Knudsen is a staunch supporter of law enforcement, and as the chief law enforcement official in Montana he frequently gets out of Helena to visit with local law enforcement to serve communities across the state.

Upon taking office, during the 2021 Legislative Session, Attorney General Knudsen secured funds and administered a grant program to help 23 Montana law enforcement agencies obtain and train drug-detecting canines to help fight the drug epidemic in Montana.

He successfully advocated for ten new criminal justice employees at the Montana Department of Justice to help support local law enforcement and backed the End of Watch Trust to support eligible law enforcement officers and their surviving immediate family in the event of an officer’s death or catastrophic injury in the line of duty, during the 2023 Legislative Session.

Related Press Releases

  • Published On: December 30, 2021

    Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen today announced the final round of grant awards that will help local law enforcement agencies obtain and train new canine units to crack down on illegal drugs being trafficked into Montana. Following the 18 initial [...]

  • Published On: December 15, 2021

    HELENA – Sixty-one new officers who will serve in 41 agencies across the state graduated yesterday from the Montana Law Enforcement Academy (MLEA), which is part of the Montana Department of Justice. MLEA provides basic and advanced training for state, county, [...]

  • Published On: November 18, 2021

    In response to Missoula District Court Judge Shane Vannatta sentenced Jonathan Bertsch to four consecutive terms of life in prison without the possibility of parole, Montana Highway Patrol Colonel Steve Lavin issued the following statement: “The men and women of [...]