Montana State University Police Department’s deputy chief recognized by international organization

BOZEMAN - After serving eight years as an officer with the Bozeman Police Department, Adam Pankratz walked away from law enforcement, believing he was finished with the profession.

"I had become unhappy and negative," Pankratz said. "So, I went back to school to pursue a different path."

Pankratz enrolled at the University of Minnesota Morris to finish his degree in environmental studies. After graduating in 2011, he worked as a biological technician for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service but soon realized he missed full-time community policing. More specifically, the Fairbanks, Alaska, native missed "the camaraderie, the brotherhood, the selfless service and the connections to the community."

When weighing whether to return to his career in law enforcement, a confidant offered him advice: If you do this, the person said, if you return to law enforcement, you have to do it differently.

Through additional conversations with friends and family - and intense self-reflection - Pankratz had a realization.

"I was the one who made myself negative before," he said. "It really comes down to a personal decision on how you let external factors affect you. You are not in control of your boss, the work you do or the people you are investigating. But you are in control of your reactions to them. And I had become a little jaded in my young career, a little bit negative. It took me stepping back and assessing myself to really understand that I was the common denominator in all of my conflicts."

In 2012, he joined the Montana State University Police Department as a part-time police officer while working as a game warden for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, positions he would hold until 2024, when he accepted a promotion to deputy chief of police for MSU. Pankratz now oversees the MSU Police Department's patrol, detective, training and evidence divisions. He has also established himself as a respected administrator at the MSU Police Department, the state's first and only law enforcement agency to be accredited by the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators. The same organization recently recognized Pankratz through its "Behind the Uniform" program, which features accomplished administrators from college and university police departments.

"Deputy Chief Pankratz is particularly drawn to the interconnected nature of campus public safety," the profile in IACLEA's e-newsletter said. "He views the university as a network of partners, where departments across housing, athletics, academics and facilities work together toward a shared goal."

MSU Police Chief Michael Stanley nominated Pankratz for the international recognition.

"I wanted to recognize him as a leader on a national level and showcase his chosen, and very intentional, pathway of public service," Stanley said. "He stands as an excellent example of dedicated leadership that embodies the service mindset of the agency, MSU as a land-grant institution and that of IACLEA. You'll find no one more committed to the agency, the institution and our mission than Deputy Chief Pankratz."

Of the 9,000 members who make up the organization worldwide, Stanley said, around 30 have been recognized through the program.

Part of what inspired Stanley to nominate Pankratz for the IACLEA honor is the deputy chief's leadership in the successful development and launch of Gallatin College MSU's 30-credit Certificate of Applied Science in Law Enforcement program, sometimes referred to as the Gallatin College Law Enforcement Academy. The program's inaugural group of 14 students is expected to graduate in December after completing two additional classes remotely - Life Saving Skills plus Health and Wellness for Everyday Policing. The students will also participate in an internship within the industry this fall.

When Pankratz became deputy chief in 2024, he also took on the responsibility of program manager, charged with developing and launching the Gallatin College MSU law enforcement training program. Pankratz provides executive leadership, strategic direction and operational management for the state-certified program. He is credited with codeveloping the curriculum, managing its instructors and partially overseeing regulatory compliance, student performance and stakeholder input.

"Deputy Chief Pankratz led the development and implementation of the academy with a true dedication to the core values of what it takes to work in law enforcement," said Stephanie Gray, dean of Gallatin College MSU. "He was calm, consistent and professional. He has proven himself to be a great teammate and is respected."

Pankratz said the success of launching the new program can be attributed to a team effort.

"It has taken a tremendous amount of effort from a lot of people through all stages for this program to happen," Pankratz said. "Every partner has been amazing, particularly the Bozeman Police Department, Gallatin County Sheriff's Office and Gallatin College. Those three and us at Montana State University Police Department are the four legs of the table that made this thing happen."