Meet your Gallatin County Attorney
Since 2023, County Attorney Audrey Cromwell has held offenders accountable, protected victims, defended public safety, and stood up for the rule of law safeguarded in our U.S. and Montana Constitutions.
Protecting Victims.
Upon taking office, I discovered over 600 unprosecuted felony cases dating back 15 years (including 113 sexual assault cases, 52 of which involved children). Beginning with this backlog—now 100% cleared—through today, I prioritize the toughest, most serious offenses in our community. In the first three years of my term, my team has prosecuted 3,058 felonies and 4,185 misdemeanors.
I secured a federal partnership under the Violence Against Women Act combatting domestic violence involving a firearm. Trainings for my team now include sensitive criminal matters like Sexual Assault, Strangulation, Domestic Violence, DUI Bootcamp, and Forensic Interviewing.
After our successful implementation of the APRAIS screening tool for domestic violence offenders at the time of arrest, I am working with HAVEN and our law enforcement partners to establish a similar protocol for the highly-lethal crime of strangulation before it escalates to murder.
Defending Public Safety.
I transformed the County Attorney’s office from a 15% staffed “skeleton crew” with only 6 attorneys, to an effective team of 40 attorneys, Victim Advocates, and support staff—successfully bringing caseloads down from 3-4 times the national standard, to double.
I will continue to fiercely advocate before the Gallatin County Commission for the workforce required to match the escalating needs of our growing community: 6 Attorneys, 1 Victim Advocate, 1 Community Liaison, and 1 Criminal Investigator.
Following the success of our newly-established 90-Day Community Commitment program and PIVOT pretrial diversion program, I will strengthen mental health partnerships and expand effective restorative justice solutions that make our community a safer place to live, work, and go to school.
Supporting Law Enforcement.
County Attorneys have a unique responsibility on the law enforcement continuum: one of both support and accountability as we uphold the rights of all involved—the victims, the accused, and the community.
In addition to officers having 24/7 on-call support from my office, I am in regular communication with our dedicated law enforcement partners, including the Detention Center, BPD, and Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office, to coordinate seamless protection of our citizens. My office’s new electronic portal expedites law enforcement requests for prosecution, discovery upload, serving e-subpoenas, and case tracking for the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office, Bozeman Police Department, Belgrade Police Department, MSU Police Department, West Yellowstone Police Department, Manhattan Police Department, Montana Highway Patrol, Gallatin County Airport Authority, Montana Department of Transportation, and Montana Fish, Wildlife, & Parks.
As your County Attorney I remain committed to this hands-on approach so that each law enforcement partner knows their difficult work is supported and the communities they serve and protect are safe.
Standing up for the rule of law.
Growing up in Billings, graduating from the University of Montana law school, and making Gallatin County my home for more than 15 years, I understand the sacred right to privacy safeguarded in Montana’s state constitution. I will continue to stand my ground for privacy and due process—a ground I share with so many in our community.
Civil liberties are essential to public safety.
To further increase confidence in our justice system, my office has tracked more than 100 data markers related to cases. Once an independent analysis is completed in 2026, I will launch a public dashboard that will help eliminate racial, disability, and poverty bias and shape policies driven by facts, fairness, and accountability to the community I serve and protect.
Community leaders endorse County Attorney Cromwell for re-election in 2026.
Jon Tester, Former U.S. Senator
Hon. Mike Wheat, Retired Supreme Court Justice
Chief Frank Parrish, Jr., MSU Police Chief (Ret.)
Dayna Swanson, Former State Director, Sen. Jon Tester
Judith Heilman, Gallatin Community Member
Lori Morgan, Gallatin Mental Health Professional
Hilary Eisen, Gallatin Community Member
Matt Fulton, Gallatin Business Owner
Jen Schimbeno, Gallatin Business Owner
Brandyn Caires, Gallatin Mental Health Professional
Gail Richardson, Former Chair of Gallatin County Democrats
Carson Taylor, Former Bozeman Mayor
Kristi Chester Vance, Gallatin Community Member
Julie Belschwender, Gallatin Nurse
Christine Happel, Gallatin Community Member
Mel Hanes, Former Prosecutor and Assist. U.S. Attorney
Hillary Carls, Gallatin Attorney
Greg Munro, Law School Professor
Rep. Alice Buckley State Legislator
Leah Anderson, Gallatin Physician
Abby Schlatter, Gallatin Business Owner
Mark Luebeck, Gallatin Attorney
David Aronofsky, Law School Professor
Jennifer Dwyer, Gallatin Attorney
Katie Keiser, Gallatin Attorney
Katherine Hamilton, Gallatin Attorney
Matt Caires, Gallatin Education Administration
Diedre Hodgson, Gallatin Educator
Denise Juneau, Former MT Superintendent of Public Instruction
Pam Bryan, Gallatin Community Member
Nicholas Miller, Gallatin Attorney
Jennifer Boyer, Gallatin County Commissioner
Sylvia Drain, Gallatin Community Member
Kristin How, Gallatin Attorney
Susan Byorth, Gallatin Realtor
Tawnia Bell, Galaltin Community Member
Dave Weiss, Gallatin Business Owner
Charlie Cromwell, Gallatin Attorney
Krista Elkins, Gallatin Paramedic
Rep. Kelly Kortum, Montana State Legislator
Elizabeth Marum, Former Chair of the Gallatin County Democrats
Julie Quenemoen, Former Chair of the Gallatin County Democrats
David Swingle, Retired Gallatin Educator
Eric Goldwarg, Gallatin Attorney
Dr. Coco Kirchhoff, Gallatin Physician
Raph Graybill, Attorney
Sen. Cora Neumann, Montana State Senator
Chelsi Moy, Gallatin Community Member
John Heenan, Attorney
Kyle Nelson, Gallatin Attorney
Ben Sudduth, Gallatin Attorney
Susan Neubauer, Gallatin Business Owner
Stephen Halvorsen, Gallatin Physician
Buck Taylor, Community Health Leader
Kristin Taylor, Gallatin Attorney
Kristin Hopkins, Gallatin Educator
Joe Schumacher, Veteran and Gallatin Community Leader
Pat Byorth, Gallatin Attorney
Henry Happel, Gallatin Community Member