Meet Sgt. Andrew Coker, Night Watch Commander for the Helena Police Department.

Sgt. Coker has served in his current role of a Nights Watch Commander since November 2021 and has been an officer in Helena for over five years with nearly eight years of total experience in law enforcement.

As a night watch commander, Coker supervises officers that are on duty during A-Nights. It is a role that entails a long list of responsibilities from simply backing up officers during routine calls to decision making regarding policy and law. Since August 2021, he has also served as the field training officer coordinator for the Helena Police Department. In that capacity, it is Coker’s duty to assign all new officers to designated FTO’s and ensure that all new officers complete training that satisfactorily meet the standards set by the department.

“Law Enforcement is a constantly evolving field,” he says. “It is up to us as officers to stay on top of our game to provide the best quality service to our community, not just for their satisfaction but for their safety.”

Although Coker is not a native of Helena, he cites the community’s rich history and strong community ties as the reasons he has fallen in love with his new home.

“From the moment I step out of my patrol vehicle at a call to the moment I tell our dispatch I am clear from that call, I think of what a great environment I am surrounded by in the City of Helena,” Coker says. “I think one of the most important parts of our job is to build trust within the community we serve. Trust is an easy thing to lose and a hard thing to gain. Striving daily to earn the community’s trust is what we are building toward. Without the support from this community, the department would falter.”

Valuing that trust, both within the community and the department itself, Coker looks forward to the future with open eyes and an eagerness to serve the place he is thankful to call home.

“The Helena Police Department has given me more opportunities to advance my career than I could have ever asked for,” he says. “Chief Flynn has built trust in me since the moment I arrived at HPD and I could not be more grateful.”