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Montana police chief reveals the shocking reason the hit TV series Yellowstone has devastated his county
The hit TV series Yellowstone has caused the Bozeman, Montana, police chief a litany of headaches since the show's debut.
Since its release in 2018, the show about a Montana family protecting their ranch near Yellowstone National Park has received an incredible reception, boasting millions of fans.
As a result, some decided to turn the show into their reality by moving to the area.
Bozeman Police Chief Jim Velkamp told DailyMail.com in an exclusive sit-down interview how the small town has grappled with a booming population.
The most devastating outcome of the show's global success is the city's rising crime, he said.
'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,' Velkamp revealed.
And that show, the police chief says, has directly fueled an increase in crime locally and added more work onto the department's already-full plate.
Jim Veltkamp, Police Chief, Bozeman Police Department, told DailyMail.com that the biggest issue facing the department is the city's rapid growth - which as led to increased crime. He, in part, blamed the hit TV show Yellowstone for influencing so many people to move to town
'Our city has grown so fast,' he continued. 'Bozeman wasn't literally on the map, now it's a well-known place.'
He described how as a kid growing up Bozeman was left off of maps because of how small and unknown it was. He said he remembered not even being able to find his town in the world atlas.
Bozeman's population has grown by 50 percent in the decade since 2014, sparking an uptick in bumper stickers proclaiming 'Montana is Full.'
The boom was fueled by Yellowstone, residents who moved from Democrat-led states during the COVID pandemic and the adoption of remote work, Velkamp said.
Still, he does not blame all of his growth-related crime problems on the hit TV show.
'I can't blame one single factor, I certainly can't attribute it all to the show Yellowstone, but we hear it routinely,' he said.
Kevin Costner as John Dutton, Brecken Merrill as Tate Dutton in the 'Yellowstone' TV show season one in 2018. The show highlights a ranching family in Montana as they face off against others encroaching on their land
The show beautifully depicts the backwater lifestyle of Montanans living in rural communities
Velkamp told DailyMail.com that he has had multiple applicants apply for the Bozeman Police Department after watching the show
'People say, 'Oh Bozeman, I've watched Yellowstone.''
And many of those people have come looking to join his department to get closer to the picturesque beauty shown in the show.
'We even hear it from candidates for the police department. They looked up Bozeman after watching the show Yellowstone and thought 'Wow that's a pretty cool place' ... and so they inquire about working here.'
But the growing crime in the city, the chief says, should be taken with a grain of salt.
'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.'
He said the crime has not boomed disproportionately to the town's growth, but with more people comes more crime - and increased expectations.
The Bozeman Police Department is straining to keep up with the growth of the town
Bozeman police help a stranded resident after they crashed during a snow storm
'So with the growth comes tons of issues related to people's expectations of Bozeman.'
The chief described receiving complaints from 40-year Bozeman residents and those who have only been here four months, both upset with out quickly the city is changing.
'Everyone seems to have this view Bozeman is changing more rapidly than they'd like.'
The most common complaint he hears from residence is not about the increase of serious crimes, however, it is about traffic.
'They can't see the increased human trafficking going on in town,' Velkamp said of Bozeman residents.
The chief said the department is doing the best with the funds they have to handle the increased requests from residents
Aerial view of downtown Bozeman, Montana in the Summer
'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.'
And sharing his thoughts on the recent population boom, Velkamp gave a tongue-in-cheek response.
'There's this lore and this view of what Montana is,' but many leave after living in the area short time, he said, adding 'They can't handle the cold.'