Montana Department of Justice

What Montana Department of Justice does

The Montana Department of Justice is the principal legal and law enforcement agency of the State of Montana, headed by Attorney General Austin Knudsen. It serves Montana's approximately 1.1 million residents, all 56 county attorney offices, state and local law enforcement agencies, and tribal and federal partners across a broad portfolio of statutory functions. Its operating model is funded through state general fund appropriations, fees from the Motor Vehicle Division (registrations, titles, driver's licenses), settlement recoveries, and federal pass-throughs — not commercial revenue generation.

The agency's core "products" are statutory services and enforcement actions rather than commercial offerings. Its divisions include the Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), the Montana Highway Patrol, the Motor Vehicle Division, the Office of Consumer Protection, the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, the Forensic Science Division, and victim-services programs. Specialized programs include MMIP (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons), ICAC (Internet Crimes Against Children), and a new digital identity platform, Montana Mobile ID. Under Knudsen, the office has emphasized multi-state coalition activity (Big Tech, ESG, opioids, energy) and has secured notable settlements, including a $3.5M Johnson & Johnson opioid recovery.

Operational scale is substantial for a small-state DOJ: the Montana Law Enforcement Academy graduated 64 officers in its most recent class, human trafficking caseloads have grown roughly 1,900% from 2015 to 2023, and the agency maintains statewide dispatch, forensic, and investigative infrastructure. There is no explicit revenue or appropriations figure disclosed; budget size is inferred from Montana's overall state budget context. The agency does not operate as a commercial business — it has no pricing model, no sales channel, and no competitive market — so traditional revenue, customer, and growth metrics apply only by analogy.

Name

Montana Department of Justice

Legal name

Montana Department of Justice

Website

https://dojmt.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1935

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

The Montana Department of Justice is a state government agency led by Attorney General Austin Knudsen that provides legal services, law enforcement, motor vehicle services, consumer protection, and victim services to Montana residents, county attorneys, and tribal and federal partners across all 56 counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

State Government Law Enforcement and Legal Services

NAICS

Legal Counsel and Prosecution (92213), Legal Counsel and Prosecution (922130), Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities (922)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAIAFAB

Prosecution & District/State Attorney Services

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/Justice System (Courts, Prosecution & Corrections)

SECONDARYBPAIABAE

State/Provincial Courts & Judicial Administration

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/State/Provincial & Regional Government Administration

SECONDARYBPAIAFAJ

Victim Services & Witness Assistance (Justice System)

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/Justice System (Courts, Prosecution & Corrections)

Keywords

• Law enforcement services
• Legal representation services
• Consumer protection enforcement
• Victim support services
• Motor vehicle licensing

Headquarters

HQ city

Helena

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. State Government Appropriations: Primary funding through Montana state government budget appropriations as the state's primary law enforcement and legal agency
2. Motor Vehicle Division Fees: Fees collected for vehicle registration, driver licensing, and related motor vehicle services
3. Background Check Services: Criminal records and background check services provided to law enforcement agencies and the public

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Montana Department of Justice is the state's chief law enforcement and legal agency, led by the elected Attorney General. It provides statewide public safety services through divisions including the Division of Criminal Investigation, Forensic Science Division, Montana Highway Patrol, Montana Law Enforcement Academy, Motor Vehicle Division, Gambling Control Division, Sexual or Violent Offender Registry, Office of Victim Services, Sexual Assault Response Network, Office of Consumer Protection, and Missing Persons Program. It also delivers legal representation for the state, supervisory oversight of 56 county attorneys, and operates the Montana 911 Program and criminal justice information network.

Product overview

The Montana Department of Justice is a unified platform of law enforcement and legal services comprising multiple specialized divisions and programs. The organization operates through distinct divisions including the Division of Criminal Investigation, Forensic Science Division, Montana Highway Patrol, Montana Law Enforcement Academy, Motor Vehicle Division, and Gambling Control Division. Public-facing programs include the Sexual or Violent Offender Registry, Office of Victim Services, Sexual Assault Response Network, Office of Consumer Protection, and Missing Persons Database. Additional services encompass Montana Mobile IDs for digital driver licenses, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the Montana Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Advisory Council. The department also provides administrative functions including administrative rules management, Title VI compliance, and various reporting systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Division of Criminal Investigation

Quantifiable outcome

• Human trafficking cases increased from 7 in 2015 to 143 in 2023 (1,900% increase)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Montana Law Enforcement AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternal DOJ division providing basic and advanced training for state, county, city, and tribal law enforcement officers throughout Montana. Operates within the Department of Justice structure.
• Montana Board of Crime ControlcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdministratively attached to DOJ, provides crime data and resources to proactively contribute to public safety and crime prevention across Montana.
• Public Safety Officer Standards & Training Council (POST)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdministratively attached to DOJ, responsible for establishing basic and advanced qualification training standards for employment of Montana's public safety officers. Access available through Montana Public Safety Portal.
• End of Watch TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdministratively attached to DOJ, supports eligible law enforcement officers and their immediate family in the event of an officer's death or catastrophic injury in the line of duty.
• Office of the Child and Family OmbudsmancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated office administratively attached to DOJ providing oversight and advocacy for children and families.
• Natural Resource Damage ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated program administratively attached to DOJ focused on natural resource damage assessment and restoration.
• Local, Tribal, and Federal Law Enforcement AgenciescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDOJ oversees divisions that assist local, tribal, and federal law enforcement agencies. Services include criminal investigation, forensic science, highway patrol, law enforcement training, 911 program, and criminal records.
• Montana 911 ProgramcoreTechnology or IntegrationPublic safety communications infrastructure administered by DOJ supporting statewide 911 emergency response capabilities.
• Montana Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Advisory CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDOJ program addressing missing and murdered indigenous persons cases in Montana through coordinated advisory efforts.
• Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDOJ program investigating internet crimes against children, operating under Division of Criminal Investigation.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Florida Office of the Attorney General: Florida OAG is an elected-AG state legal agency handling consumer protection, criminal appeals, victim services, and multistate litigation. It operates the same statutory architecture (AG as chief legal officer) and frequently co-leads the multistate coalitions Montana DOJ has joined.
• New York Office of the Attorney General: New York OAG operates a comparable mandate of statewide civil enforcement, criminal prosecution support, consumer protection, and multistate action leadership. It is a structurally similar organization operating at vastly greater scale, with similar political exposure tied to the elected AG role.
• Texas Office of the Attorney General: Texas OAG is a state-level legal agency led by an elected Attorney General with broad consumer protection, criminal prosecution, and multistate coalition leadership roles. Functions directly mirror Montana DOJ's structure (litigation, consumer protection, victim services, opinions carrying force of law).
• California Department of Justice: The California DOJ is a large state-level legal and law enforcement agency with comparable functions (Attorney General-led, statewide scope, criminal investigation, consumer protection, victim services). It is the most direct functional peer; differences in scale and political context make it a broad incumbent rather than a like-sized peer.

Direct peers

• Oregon Department of Justice: Oregon DOJ is a mid-sized state legal agency with comparable functions (civil litigation, consumer protection, victim services, crime lab, criminal justice information sharing). Similar population scale and broad statutory mandate make it a strong like-for-like peer despite differing political orientation.
• Colorado Department of Law: Colorado's Department of Law is led by an elected Attorney General with a comparable mid-sized-state mandate including consumer protection, criminal justice, victim services, and natural resource litigation. The size and structure make it the closest like-for-like peer for Montana DOJ.

Regional players

• Idaho Office of the Attorney General: Idaho AG is a neighboring, similarly-sized state legal agency with a comparable conservative-policy orientation. Functions (civil litigation, consumer protection, victim services, multistate actions) mirror Montana DOJ, and it frequently appears as co-plaintiff in the same multistate coalitions.
• Wyoming Office of the Attorney General: Wyoming AG is a similarly small-population, rural-state legal agency with a comparable scope of statutory duties. It is the closest regional peer by scale, jurisdiction, and policy orientation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DOJMT
• Facebookfacebook.com/MTDOJ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/montana-department-of-justice

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Montana Department of Justice