Montana Police: Crime rate in Yellowstone increased

People always say that television and other media can have a bad influence on people. Normally, I would assume that people have a certain amount of judgment. And I can't imagine that people can be easily persuaded to do something. However, police in Montana suspect that the hit TV series “Yellowstone” is giving criminals good ideas.

Recently, Jim Veltkamp, ​​police chief of Bozeman, Montana, revealed to the Daily Mail how difficult it has been to adjust since “Yellowstone” became such a huge sensation. “I think overall for us and specifically for the city of Bozeman, it's just the growth and the challenges that come with it… that's our biggest challenge. Our city has grown so quickly,” Jim explains. “Bozeman wasn't literally on the map, now it's a well-known place. I can't blame any one factor for it, I certainly can't blame it all on the show 'Yellowstone,' but we hear it on a regular basis.”

Montana police chief claims Yellowstone is linked to crime increase

Tourism certainly increases the amount of activity that takes place in the Montana town today. Additionally, newcomers tell locals that the show inspired them to move to Bozeman. They want the “Yellowstone” experience to be as realistic as possible.

The average Montana citizen complains about little things like increased traffic. But the police chief says the new arrivals are bringing an increase in crime in other areas. “The fact that our population is growing so fast means that crime is also increasing rapidly. We just need more capacity and bandwidth to keep up with that number of crimes, even if the ratio, our crime rate, stays the same and only slowly increases. They can't see the increased human trafficking in the city,” Veltkamp says. “Many of them don't see that there is more fentanyl available in the city. But they see people running red lights, and that becomes their biggest problem.”

However, people are slowly changing their minds about moving to Montana. Some are even moving away. Why? It's freezing cold up there! “There are these traditions and these views about what Montana is, but many move away after only living in the area for a short time. They can't stand the cold,” the chief emphasizes.

Additionally, Yellowstone fans will surely be focusing on new locations on the map. The spin-offs apparently involve Sheridan and his new cast heading to his ranch in Texas, so locals can breathe a sigh of relief.