While the negotiations were ongoing, McDermott said he spoke with attorneys regarding possible conflicts of interest. After the deal closed in February, the sheriff said he told the Missoula County Commissioners about buying the company and asked the Missoula County Attorney’s Office to write a legal opinion to give him “clear legal guidelines” for avoiding conflicts.

In a letter to the sheriff dated Feb. 28, chief deputy county attorney Jason Marks wrote that McDermott was correct that the sheriff’s office shouldn’t purchase any equipment from Montana Electronics while he remains in office, even if he personally didn’t make the purchasing decision.

Barbara Berens, county auditor, said so far in the fiscal year that ends in June, the sheriff’s office – including the Missoula County Detention Facility – has done just under $2,300 in business with Montana Electronics.

In the 2016 fiscal year, the county did more than $35,000 in business, including a single purchase of a little more than $33,000 for portable radios and associated accessories.

McDermott said the bulk purchase was made to deal with a set of broken radios used by detention officers.