Colyer officially now chief of Missoula Police Department

Martin Kidston

(Missoula Current) The City of Missoula officially appointed a new police chief on Monday night when it passed a suite of measures agreed upon unanimously by council members.

Missoula Mayor Jordan Hess appointed Mike Colyer to the position in early June, though it required final approval from City Council, which came Monday night.

“I've really enjoyed getting to know Chief Colyer,” said Hess. “I've found him to be intelligent, thoughtful and compassionate. I think he cares about the department and our community. Those are attributes that shine through in his work every day. I couldn't be more confident in my choice and the work he'll do moving forward.”

Colyer was born and raised in Missoula and is a 27-year veteran of the department. He has served as interim policy chief twice, mostly recently when former Chief Jaeson White retired.

Colyer graduated from the FBI National Academy in Quantico in 2011 and was quickly promoted to captain and assigned to the Detective Division. In that role, he helped guide the police department's response to sexual assault in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Justice.

Colyer on Monday said he never set out to be the chief of police but was pleased to now have the job.

“As a sergeant, I wanted to be part of that team and as a lieutenant, I wanted to be part of that team,” he said. “Now, I want to be part of this team with City Council and be a team member with all of our department heads.”