City of Libby approves Ercanbrack as new Chief of Police

It may have not been on the City of Libby calendar, but councilors approved at a special meeting on April 20 the hiring of one of its own to become the new chief of police.

The council voted to approve Cody Ercanbrack as Libby’s new police chief.

Tasked with rebuilding the police force after four officer resignations and Chief Scott Kessel's departure left the city with one police officer, Ercanbrack will start in May, according to City Administrator Samuel Sikes.

Following two investigations and the formation of a police commission, the city hopes it has turned a corner with Ercanbrack’s hiring.

“The Libby Police Department is committed to serve and protect the lives, property and constitutional rights of people in Libby, Montana,” Ercanbrack wrote in a mission statement.

He attended elementary school, middle school and high school in Libby. During this time he played football and tennis as a Libby Logger.

"When I saw the trouble the Libby Police Department was having I felt it was my time to give back to the community that has given my family so much! I am ecstatic to be coming home and using all the training and experience I have to rebuild the Libby Police Department to be a model agency. Libby is my home, it always has been, and being given the great responsibility of protecting my home is the greatest honor of my life," he wrote in a recent email.

To Ercanbrack, leadership means leading by example, doing the right thing and creating an environment where people can develop and be willing to go beyond traditional expectations.

He wrote that his mission is for the department to be a model law enforcement agency and for it to be an innovative leader in public safety services across Montana.

He also wrote that the Libby Police Department should be an agency that fairly and aggressively enforces the law, enhance public safety through a combination of proven methods and incorporation of new technologies, engage the public through community outreach and education, promote and support workforce development and wellness. He also believes the department should be transparent and a good steward of public funds and resources while being built upon the professionalism of its employees.

During the meeting, Mayor Peggy Williams nominated Ercanbrack to the council. Previously she forwarded the referral to the police commission. According to Sikes, the police commission checked Ercanbrack's qualifications, called references and performed background checks.

At last Thursday's meeting, Ercanbrack was nominated and approved. He will still need to be fingerprinted and pass a final background check, but as Ercanbrack has already been through stringent background checks in Idaho, he will be the new police chief, Sikes said.

The position’s pay is roughly $26.52 an hour. Ercanbrack was the only applicant and the start day will be around the first week of May, Sikes said.

Ercanbrack worked for the U.S Forest Service, and as a reserve deputy after graduating from Libby High School, his wife Nikki Ercanbrack said in a post on social media. He attended Lewis and Clark State College, studying Sociology and Criminal Justice. Ercanbrack later joined the Idaho State Police in 2015, where he has held titles of Trooper, Corporal and Specialist, she said.

“He is so ready to get to work and start rebuilding a relationship with the community as well as the trust of the community in the police department. He is also excited to return home and work for the city that helped shape him,” Nikki Ercanbrack said.