Clayton Henderson is a born-and-raised Great Falls police officer. He always knew he wanted to be in law enforcement, and has been with GFPD going on five years now.
"I kind of always had an interest in law enforcement. I had family members in law enforcement. I got out of high school, became an EMT and then a paramedic, and I worked for about five years with Great Falls Emergency Services and always with the intention of becoming law enforcement."
The senior police officer sees a uniqueness on the streets of Great Falls and it's in large part due to the community that makes up the city.
"I've seen places where people have a hard time staying police officer because of being unliked by the community and things like that," Henderson said. "I think that for the most part, they trust us here that we're doing everything we can. Doing our part. Around here, the support from our agency and the support from our communities makes it worthwhile."
GFPD recently responded to a situation that ended with an officer fatally shooting a fleeing suspect who was reportedly armed, and Henderson says he has noticed an increase in violent crimes recently.
"Violent crime is definitely on the rise and there's been an increase just in my time here, I've noticed. More people committing violent crimes against each other and it seems like we're running into more people who are armed."
For Henderson, it's about doing his job and supporting his community the same way they support him.
"I'm born and raised here. Never left."
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