BOZEMAN — A public safety town hall planned for Tuesday evening in Bozeman has been canceled, according to event organizers.

The event, originally scheduled to take place at the Bozeman Public Safety Center, was set to feature Bozeman Police Chief Jim Veltkamp and Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer. The program was expected to include presentations followed by a Q&A session addressing issues such as drug use, illegal immigration, cartel activity, and public camping.

Organizers — the Gallatin Valley Sentinel and the Gallatin County Republicans — informed KBZK that the media would not be allowed to attend, citing limited space at the venue. However, because the event was scheduled to take place in a public building, KBZK had planned to cover the meeting.

In an email sent to those who had RSVP'd to the event organizers stated:

"Hello Everyone,

We are writing to inform you that tonight's Public Safety Town Hall, originally scheduled at the Bozeman Public Safety Center, has been postponed. We apologize for the late notice. This is due to circumstances beyond our control.
Today at 12:20 p.m., we received a phone call from Bozeman Police Chief Veltkamp, where we were made aware that we are unable to prioritize or guarantee seats for those who RSVP'd as the event must allow first-come, first-served access to the public, with overflow into the lobby of the Public Safety Center. We were also informed there were groups planning to attend who did not RSVP, at that we would not be able to turn them away. We were unable to find where this is cited in the rules for reserving the Public Safety Center and have many questions ourselves, but to ensure a safe and manageable environment, we have decided to relocate the event to a private venue."