Police

Early last month, the Laramie City Council voted on whether or not they would create a Police Advisory Board. This vote was the culmination of years of debate — debate which saw thousands of Laramie residents taking to the streets, signing petitions, and giving hours of public comment at city council meetings. However, despite all that arguing, the councilors arrived at a unanimous decision. The Police Advisory Board was approved.

How does an underfunded and overworked rural police department help a community feel more supported? Riverton’s new police chief is hoping a Community Service Officer program could help.

On July 18, the Laramie City Council approved bylaws for the city’s Police Advisory Board. This development comes just two weeks after the board itself was created in early July. The bylaws outline the board’s purpose, membership, responsibilities, training procedures and more.

On July 5, the Laramie City Council unanimously approved the creation of a police advisory board. It’s slated to be up and running within three to six months and will act as a sounding board for the community.

Two sets of "Track N Go" snow tracks have recently been installed on marked police vehicles to help in navigating the city's streets during periods when normal driving conditions are difficult or impossible. They've proven valuable so far, especially to serve residential neighborhoods whose streets may not be plowed regularly and to bring in essential workers that may not be able to make it to work otherwise.

Megan Phillips, a former full-time officer from 2017-19, was sworn in earlier this month. Several additional inquiries have also been made about the program, which seeks to offer residents from all walks of life the opportunity to bring their perspectives into the city's policing model.

The state legislature allocated $25,000 of the budget to address high rates of suicides among first responders in the state. This money was taken by the Wyoming Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) and utilized to create the first ever First Responders Health and Wellness Conference that will take place August 22-24 in Casper. Wyoming Public Radio's Kamila Kudelska spoke with POST executive director Chris Walsh on why the conference is needed.

The conference, which will run from August 22-24 in Casper will offer police officers, firefighters, EMS personnel and dispatchers, workshops and training on proper sleep, mental health, recognizing symptoms when people start to struggle and intervention methods.

As communities reckon with deep problems in policing highlighted by the murder of George Floyd, some advocates are working toward what they say is one solution: achieving gender parity.

This week Corporal Derek Colling from the Albany County Sheriff's office resigned. Colling shot and killed Laramie resident Robbie Ramirez during a traffic stop in 2018. Ramirez was unarmed. Colling was hired after having been fired from the Las Vegas police department following an altercation with a photographer. He had also killed two people while working for that department and many objected when former Sheriff Dave O'Malley hired him.