Cheyenne Police Department releases annual report

May 30—CHEYENNE — Earlier this week, the Cheyenne Police Department released its annual report for 2020, an overview of the department's activity over the last year.

Officers responded to 69,367 total calls for service. Of these, 32,818 were made by citizens through a call or text to 911 or the non-emergency line, while 36,549 were initiated by officers.

The number of calls follows a downward trend that began in 2019, when officers responded to 72,468 calls — far fewer than the 86,363 in 2018.

The department's Traffic Unit reported fewer drivers on the road in 2020, especially in the first two-thirds of the year, which it attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic and decreased travel. School closures also "significantly" brought down school zone and bus-related infractions.

Nearly one-quarter of traffic citations were issued for speeding.

The department received 24 complaints about its employees from someone outside of the department, and also received 14 internal complaints. Of these, 14 were sustained, one was not sustained, three were classified as "unfounded" and 20 were classified as "exonerated." CPD spokesperson Alex Farkas said complaints are reviewed internally "through the department's chain of command."

"If a complaint is unfounded or exonerated, the allegation is found to be false and the officer is absolved from any wrongdoing. Our database separates the two categories, but there is no significant difference," Farkas said. "If a complaint is sustained, the officer is disciplined in accordance with policy."

Larceny was the most common crime victimization last year, with 510 reported incidents. Domestic violence/strangulation/domestic battery was second, with 366 reported incidents. Burglary, property destruction and identity theft/fraud followed, with 353, 336 and 223 reported incidents, respectively.

In addition, 241 people reported more than one instance of victimization.

In late November, then-Mayor-elect Patrick Collins announced he would be looking for a replacement for former Police Chief Brian Kozak, who held the position since 2010 and was the department's longest-serving chief. Mark Francisco, who served for 30 years with the Kansas City (Missouri) Police Department, officially became Cheyenne's new police chief in March.

Five new officers were hired in 2020.

The department's ongoing goals include continuing to seek funding for a full-time domestic violence detective and a crime analyst, following up on burglaries to reinterview victims and obtain additional evidence, and Operation Change, a downtown walking beat CPD says helps divert unhoused people "into social programming while enforcing laws."

Who is arrested and ticketed most in Cheyenne?

Officers made 1,311 total arrests in 2020, with men making up three-fourths of these at 74.8%.

The vast majority of arrests were people identified as white, at 84.6%. However, the arrests and ticketing data did not include a specific category for "Hispanic/Latino," as CPD — following the U.S. Census Bureau — considers this classification an ethnicity, not a race. As a result, many people who would consider themselves Hispanic or Latino are included in the "white" category, Farkas said.

"When an officer encounters someone, then their booking sheet actually has two different categories on it: one for race, and one for ethnicity. So, they'll usually check a race, and then if they were Hispanic or Latino or anything like that, since those are considered ethnicities, that's where that would be documented," she said. "In this particular report, and in years past, we've only showed race. ... I would like to share more about ethnicity in future reports, but for the purpose of this one, we just kept it consistent with what was done in years past."

Still, people identified as Black were overrepresented in this data. While Black people made up 11.6% of arrests by CPD last year, those who identify as Black or African American only made up 2% of Cheyenne's population in 2019, according to Census Bureau data.

American Indians and Alaskan Natives are also slightly overrepresented, making up 3.1% of arrests, but only 0.8% of the city's population.

As for ticketing, men made up 65.1% of citations issued, and women 34.9%, of a total 6,777.

Again, most tickets were issued to white people at 90.7%. Black people were overrepresented in this category, as well, receiving 7.2% of citations.

There were 157 drug arrests and 250 drug citations.

Use of force rare in police interactions

The Cheyenne Police Department reports that, of 69,367 calls for services in 2020, force was only used by officers to gain compliance 0.38% of the time, or in 263 instances.

There were 47 instances in which suspects were injured "as a result of police contact," and 19 suspects received treatment "for injuries suffered prior to the officer arriving and using force."

Officers reported 22 incidents of being assaulted, and they reported being injured in 18 of these incidents.

In instances where force was used, 56.8% involved substance abuse. Mental illness was attributed to 20% of incidents, one-third of which involved drug or alcohol use.

In November, the department announced it would be including three civilian members on a new review board formed to evaluate use-of-force incidents by officers. Civilians Stephen Latham, Mike Solis and Melvin Turner Jr. serve on the board as volunteers, and were chosen for a four-year period alongside board chairman Capt. Jared Keslar, use-of-force coordinator Sgt. James Peterson and Officer Greg Hutchinson, who was chosen by fellow officers to serve on the board.

For each incident reviewed by the board, a vote is cast by Hutchinson, Peterson and one of the civilian members, who vote on a rotating basis. The purpose of the vote is to recommend what should happen as a result of a use-of-force incident.

Board members interviewed by the Wyoming Tribune Eagle in mid-May said each reviewed incident has fallen into the two highest categories: within policy, or both within policy and commendable.

The board met for the first time Nov. 5 to review incidents from October, and has since met monthly. As of its May meeting, the board has reviewed 25 instances of use of force, Farkas said.

According to law enforcement officials, CPD was the first agency in Wyoming to include citizens on a use-of-force review board.

Drug distribution on the rise

The department's Community Action Team reported a 27% increase in drug distribution cases in 2020, and investigations related to overdose deaths increased by 50%. Trends included counterfeit oxycodone pills that were actually fentanyl, and two-thirds of drug mixtures that resulted in death contained fentanyl, according to the report.

The Community Action Team currently includes five police detectives, who are also Drug Enforcement Agency Task Force officers, Farkas said. This group investigates cases that require specialized police work, including narcotics, prostitution, human trafficking and gambling cases.

Last year, CPD officers seized 329 pounds of marijuana, 7,059.7 grams of methamphetamine, 229.5 grams of cocaine and 160.1 grams of heroin, along with $18,600 in cash.

Mental health calls increasing since 2010

In 2020, CPD received 706 calls it classified as "mental health calls."

The report notes that the department has seen a 61% increase in mental health calls for service since 2010. During that year, CPD received 434 of these calls.

The department participates in Critical Intervention Team training with the goal of getting people experiencing a mental health crisis to treatment, instead of involving them in the criminal justice system, the report says.

According to CPD, 52% of its officers have received CIT training, versus the 20-25% per department recommended by CIT International.

Other notable data from 2020

115 reports of runaways were made, and all were found.

52% fewer cases were referred to the department's Detective Bureau, which the report attributes to the COVID-19 pandemic. Felony cases are referred to the bureau when they have workable leads. A total of 151 felony people crimes and 120 felony property crimes were referred to detectives for investigation.

K-9 officers conducted 545 searches, with about 84% of those being drug searches. School searches made up 19 of these incidents, or 3.5%.

Twelve calls were made to the department's bomb squad. In April, an inactive 60 mm mortar was found at a construction site. In July, bomb technicians responded to Torrington after the town's Fourth of July fireworks show exploded prematurely inside a building. Bomb technicians removed 43 unfired commercial grade mortars, some up to 5 inches, and took them to the Torrington city landfill, where they were countercharged.

Hannah Black is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's criminal justice reporter. She can be reached at hblack@wyomingnews.com or 307-633-3128. Follow her on Twitter at @hannahcblack.