Two new deputies in Sanders County

The Sanders County Sheriff’s Office has welcomed two new deputies to the department.

Deputies Roy Scott and Eric Elliot both say they are thrilled to be serving Sanders County as part of the Sanders County. Both deputies not only love the area and have spent plenty of time in Sanders County over the years, but say there is something about this part of Montana that has continued to bring them back.

“I’ve spent time here as a kid, my family moved to Plains when I was younger and there is something special here that I wanted to come back with my family and raise my kids here,” said Elliot.

“I’ve been in and out of the county since the 1980s and 90s, and I agree with Eric; there is something very special here that kept me coming back. I have always thought of here as home,” added Scott.

Scott moved back to the area in 2014 and became a part of the search and rescue team in Thompson Falls. From there he went onto become a part of the detention center, then on to the city’s police department before taking advantage of the opening at the Sander’s County Sheriff’s Office.

“I’ve always wanted to be a Sanders County deputy. I spent two years as a deputy reserve and I am very grateful to now be where I set my goals,” said Scott.

Scott and his family are cementing roots in Sanders County and more directly Thompson Falls. His daughter Kristina attends Thompson Falls High School and already has her sights on joining the law enforcement family.

“I’m very proud that she wants to become a police officer,” said Scott.

Not only does it seem he inspired his daughter, Scott also received a prestigious award when graduated from the academy last month. The Joe May Award for leadership was one that was voted on by his peers.

“It was very unexpected. For one I was one of two guys that had a little ‘age’ on them [the younger cadets]. So when they called my name I was little in shock and one of the guys nudged me to go up and accept it,” said Scott.

He went on to say that all the awards that were presented at the ceremony were all a surprise to the winners.

“They really keep the winners under wraps,” he said.

“It was a really great moment to share with my family [wife, Tina, and daughter, Kristina] and also with most of the department. The sheriff and under-sheriff as well as a few others from the department here were there to support me,” said Scott.

Scott spent a couple of months at the academy and joked that he started in blue and finished in brown.

Elliot also attended the academy, though for a shorter stint. Elliot moved over from Mineral County where he and his family had spent 11 months.

Before that he had moved back across to the Northwest from North Carolina where he was a deputy for 13 years.

Elliot, like Scott, is also passionate about the county and its people.

“I spent a good chunk of my childhood growing up here in Western Montana. My wife is from North Carolina and just like when we lived there, we are in that same kind of rural community that we enjoy,” said Elliot.

“The area just fits us so well,” he added.

With his duties he executed back on the East Coast, Elliot said that the area had a lot higher crime rate so he was used to using a range of different skills on a regular basis.

“Each state and county is different, and where I came from I dealt with a lot of higher based crime than what you would see here in Sanders County. This doesn’t mean we don’t have crime to worry about, for me it’s now using a different set of skills and learning how this community works together with law enforcement to battle crime. I am really looking forward to using the community and working with the community to really make this a place with an even lower crime rate,” he explained.

Having experienced that different style of crime fighting, Elliot acknowledges that there are tools here that he wouldn’t have been able to use back east like the SCSO does in the county.

“I know there are members of the community that work really well with the sheriff’s office and I hope that we can really help continue to grow the relationships with everyone in Sanders County even more,” he added.

Elliot not only has tactical training skills, but also spent several years as a drug investigator and firearms trainer.

His skill set is some that can be of real help and valuable to not only the SCSO but also for residents to know there are extremely skilled deputies on the force keeping the county safe.

For Sanders County Sheriff Tom Rummel, he couldn’t be more pleased with his two new recruits.

“I’m pleased to introduce Eric Elliot and Roy Scott to the team. Elliot and Scott were hired to fill vacancies that were created in 2017,” said Rummel.

“With the hiring of the new deputies the Sheriff’s Office will have a full compliment of deputies, bringing the total to eight full time road deputies,” he added.

Rummel had acknowledged in the past the need for more deputies on the road.

“We will have more deputies on the schedule to increase our patrol presence and answer calls for service. This will decrease our response time and provide coverage for the citizens of Sanders County,” said Rummel.

“I am really looking forward to being a part of a great team and furthering good work in the county keeping people safe,” said Scott.

“I feel the same as Deputy Scott, and also want to encourage members of the community to continue to phone in crimes; big or small. It helps that we know what’s happening and allows us to utilize our resources effectively,” added Elliot.