MHP Derek Werner Promoted To Captain
The Montana Highway Patrol commissioned eleven new troopers at the 68th Advanced Academy graduation ceremony Sept. 3. Attorney General Tim Fox addressed the graduates at the event, which took place at the Kleffner Ranch in East Helena.
Captain Derek Werner of Poplar is now District VIII Commander in Havre. Werner told the Northern Plains Independent that he joined the highway patrol in 2007 after working for the Fort Peck Tribes Department of Law and Justice. He was promoted to sergeant in Glendive in 2017. Werner is still a local boy and returns to Poplar during his off days. He said he had no immediate plans to relocate.
Along with Werner, two other captains were promoted to stations in Helena and Kalispell.
During the ceremony, Christopher George was stationed in Glasgow, his hometown. Zachary Sommerfeld was stationed in his hometown of Sidney. In his remarks, Fox emphasized the importance of character to those who choose a career in law enforcement, telling the graduates, “You’ll undoubtedly be faced with many important choices in your careers from here forward. Many of those decisions will be easy to make, but there will be some tough ones, too. In each person’s life, there are many things over which we have little or no control. But what we do with our character is completely up to us.”
The Montana Highway Patrol started accepting applications on Sept. 1 for new troopers. Interested individuals should visit MHP’s website for details and apply by Oct. 1. For more information about the Trooper selection process and requirements, contact MHP at 877-8-PATROL tollfree or 406-444-3259.
In his remarks, Attorney General Tim Fox emphasized the importance of character to those who choose a career in law enforcement, telling the graduates, “You’ll undoubtedly be faced with many important choices in your careers from here forward. Many of those decisions will be easy to make, but there will be some tough ones, too. In each person’s life, there are many things over which we have little or no control. But what we do with our character is completely up to us.”
