Libby has new Chief of Police

Libby’s new Chief of Police was appointed this week.

Scott Kessel, patrol officer, was appointed by the Libby City Council on Tuesday to be the new Police Chief.

“I think I can be effective and productive in the future working with the mayor, council, police department and the citizens,” Kessel said.

Kessel, 53, who’s lived in Libby for almost a year, said that he’s looking forward to the position.

“I’m looking forward to bringing Libby into the future. I think that the city is going to grow and I think that the department is going to grow along with it as far as our ability to serve the citizens of Libby.”

Kessel has a diverse background as a military police officer and officer in high-crime rate areas, but he said he’s aware that rural communities are policed differently.

“My approach to policing is the Golden Rule,” Kessel said. “I want the department to treat everyone the way they want to be treated. With the offenders that we deal with, I’ve seen that, if you pay everyone with respect, it pays dividends.”

Kessel is excited to lead his team, noting that they’re a good core group. He plans to build more on that core group with more training and maintain the department’s level of professionalism in the community.

“We’re not just a uniform,” Kessel said. “We’re people in the community and we need to continue to make Libby a great place to live.”

Growing up as the son of a man who worked in federal government, Kessel moved around a lot as a kid, living mostly in rural areas. He said he understands Libby’s struggles, because he lived in rural Oregon.

Through his life, he’s worked at places such as the Tukwila Police Department, located near Seattle, as a military policeman in 1984 and the Beaverhead County Sheriff’s Office in Dillon, Mont.

Tukwila, he said, had the highest crime rate per capita in Washington during that time.

He also has prior supervision experience as a contract Police Officer oversees in Kuwait, where he supervised a team of law enforcement officers.

Kessel hasn’t just worked in law enforcement, he’s also managed construction crews, he said, which also gave him experience in supervision and management.

Looking for a fresh start, he moved to Libby with his fiance from out of state about a year ago. He had driven through the area before, and when he saw a position open up at the Police Department, he applied right away.

Kessel said that he’s sad to see Chief Terry Watson go, because he’s enjoyed working for him.

“We plan on both retiring here,” Kessel said. “Hopefully, not for many years.”

He will take the position effective Feb. 1.