Bozeman Police Chief Says ‘Yellowstone’ Is Partly Responsible For Increased Crime In Montana

It’s no secret that Yellowstone is directly responsible for putting a massive spotlight on the state of Montana, and while that might mean tourism dollars for local businesses, it also means a lot of bad things for longtime residents.

We recently heard one Missoula resident allegedly spoil the season finale due to her frustrations with the production filming at all hours of the night, and she says the production crew was also extremely rude throughout the inconvenient process. But, that’s just the folks who live near the set… what about the rest of the state?

First of all, I think real cowboys and ranchers probably find it a little corny, and some have even said the show gives ranchers a “bad name” with its mafia-like Dutton family and penchant for violence. However on a more practical level, it’s just bringing more and more people to the state. Enthralled by the natural beauty and cowboy mystique, wealthy folks from California, New York, and elsewhere have flocked to Big Sky Country, driving up prices on real estate and rental properties. Some longtime residents in the Bozeman area have complained that they can’t even afford to live there anymore.

“My daughter says we’ll never be able to afford a house. We tried to save but everything’s going up and up and up. Montana has quickly become inaccessible to those who live and work here.”

And according to Bozeman police chief Jim Veltkamp, the show has brought more people to Bozeman, which inevitably means… more crime. He tells Daily Mail the city has boomed so much, in part due to the show, and they’re struggling to keep up:

“I think overall for us specifically with the city of Bozeman it’s just the growth and the challenges related to growth … that is our biggest challenge. Our city has grown so fast. Bozeman wasn’t literally on the map, now it’s a well-known place.

I can’t blame one single factor, I certainly can’t attribute it all to the show ‘Yellowstone,’ but we hear it routinely.”

He says that some police candidates even apply at the department and say they saw the town on the show and moved there. And that’s not a reach. Hell, when I started watching the show, I even wanted to move there too. I hopped on the Zillow and started looking at places near Bozeman, or even something near Big Sky… by Season 3 or 4, it was already expensive as hell.

And yet, the biggest complaint for most is… traffic. But, Velkamp says that’s because ordinary people don’t see what is really going on:

“The fact that our population is going up so fast means the numbers of crimes are going up fast. We simply need more capacity and bandwidth to keep up with those numbers of crimes even if the ratio, our crime rate, is staying the same and only going up slowly.

They can’t see the increased human trafficking going on in town. A lot of them don’t see the increased fentanyl available in town. But they do see people running red lights, so that becomes their biggest issue.”

Nevertheless, he adds that a number of new transplants are leaving rather quickly, and that’s because of something else Montana is famous for… cold.

“There’s this lore and this view of what Montana is, but many leave after living in the area short time. They can’t handle the cold.”

Well… I suppose they shine might be off the apple pretty soon. The good news for Montana residents, perhaps, is that Yellowstone will be coming to an end here shortly. And while a number of spinoff shows are in the works, it seems like Sheridan and company will move more of the operation to his ranch in Texas. All of 1923 has opted to film down in Texas for this upcoming season, even though it takes place in Montana, and who knows if that 6666’s Ranch spinoff will ever get the green light.

We do know that a modern day spinoff series, The Madison, starring Michelle Pfeiffer has been confirmed, and will take place in Montana, however it’s unclear where that one will film as well. It’s very possible that Yellowstone’s physical connection to Montana might be close to over. Of course, the story is still set there, so people still might be headed to Montana for a small taste of the cowboy life.

Stay tuned…

In the meantime, Yellowstone Season 5 is set to resume on November 10.