CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The Laramie County Sheriff’s Office recorded a 61% drop in burglaries since 2021 and an 80% reduction in traffic fatalities in 2024, according to its annual report. However, traffic stops, DUI arrests and violent crime increased.
Deputies conducted over 8,000 traffic stops in 2024, a 33% increase from just over 6,000 in 2023. DUI arrests rose as well, with LCSO reporting more than 175 arrests, up from fewer than 150 the previous year. The agency attributes these numbers to high-visibility enforcement operations like the HIVE — High-Visibility Traffic Enforcement — program, which targets high-crash areas.
Crime trends show mixed results
The LCSO reported significant reductions in property crime. Burglaries dropped 39% from 2023, falling from 132 cases in 2021 to 51 in 2024. Motor vehicle thefts decreased to 27 cases, down from 99 in 2021.
However, violent crime increased. Reported rape cases tripled from five in 2023 to 16 in 2024. Aggravated assaults nearly doubled, rising from 19 to 34 cases. Meanwhile, simple assaults increased from 145 to 161 cases.
The report provides limited data on use-of-force incidents but includes a racial breakdown. According to LCSO, non-white individuals accounted for 11% of use-of-force cases, while they make up 22% of Laramie County’s population, based on the 2020 U.S. Census. Use-of-force incidents declined from 21 in 2023 to 10 in 2024, with no officer-involved shootings reported in either year.
The LCSO states that deputies responded to 46,134 incidents in 2024, though no further breakdown of those interactions was provided.
Staffing and immigration enforcement
The Laramie County Detention Center reported 3,498 bookings and 3,510 releases in 2024. The average daily jail population was 205 inmates, with an average stay of 18.2 days.
The LCSO also participated in ICE’s Jail 287G Program, which supports immigration enforcement efforts. The department installed a “VACANCY” sign outside the jail, promoting available beds for detainees.
In an effort to recruit more deputies, the LCSO placed a billboard in Denver that read “Work in Wyoming where breaking the law is still illegal and cops are funded.” The campaign contributed to a staffing increase from 65% to 87%, the highest level in decades, according to the report.
Community engagement and new initiatives
The LCSO highlighted several new initiatives in 2024, including:
- Community Inmate Labor Program, which deployed inmates for community projects
- School Resource Deputy Program, aimed at increasing safety in local schools
- K-9 Program, which added two new dogs for drug detection and firearm searches
- Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion, or LEAD, Program, which helped 200 clients avoid jail, securing housing for eight individuals and supporting 16 people in maintaining sobriety
- Jail programming expansion, introducing parenting and domestic violence classes while requiring inmates to complete self-help programs to access entertainment on tablets
Alongside increased traffic stops, LCSO reported:
- 896 total arrests in 2024 compared to 727 in 2023
- 2,700 citations issued, up from 1,934 in 2023
- 465 warnings issued
- 130 total crashes, including one fatal crash, 38 injury crashes and 91 property damage crashes
The annual report can be viewed below.
