Glick announces retirement as Laramie County sheriff
Jul. 19—CHEYENNE — Laramie County Sheriff Danny Glick announced Sunday via Facebook that he will not run for re-election after nearly 20 years on the job.
"Lately, I've been asked numerous times if I'm going to 'run' (for re-election) again. It is with a touch of sadness and more than a little excitement that I'm announcing I'm going to retire at the end of this term as Laramie County sheriff," Glick's post read.
The end of July will mark 40 years with the sheriff's department, he wrote.
Shortly afterward, sheriff's department Capt. Don Hollingshead announced his candidacy for the November 2022 election.
"I have a deep love of this county, as I was born and raised here," Hollingshead's post read. "Using all that I have learned over the years, holding leadership positions in both the Patrol and Detention divisions, I am the only candidate who has the overall knowledge and experience to successfully lead the Laramie County Sheriff's Department as we look toward the future."
On Monday, Hollingshead clarified in a follow-up post that he planned to run as a Republican.
"I have been a voting Republican all of my adult life, and believe in its core tenants," he wrote. "I believe in limited government, family values, the U.S. Constitution and Second Amendment rights, just to name a few of my core values. Although I am a lifelong Republican, I welcome support from people of all parties that want positive leadership and effective change for their community."
Hollingshead has worked at the department 26 years, most recently serving as detention captain for the Laramie County jail.
Also on Monday, former Cheyenne Police Chief Brian Kozak confirmed his plans to run for Laramie County sheriff in an interview with the Wyoming Tribune Eagle. Kozak previously floated the possibility in January after then-Mayor-elect Patrick Collins said he would not reappoint him to the position.
The decision by Collins was met with significant opposition among police department employees, according to an internal survey, and among the city's residents.
Kozak told a WTE reporter Monday that he does plan to run for sheriff, though he is holding off on an official campaign announcement.
"I've already started the process, but I really wanted to do a more thorough job in reaching out to the residents of the county, especially in the outlying areas, and also the employees and former employees of the sheriff's department, just to get input on where they all believe there's opportunities for improvement, as well," he said, adding that he was also concerned about voter fatigue, as the election's primary is still more than a year away.
Kozak congratulated Glick on his retirement and extensive service with the sheriff's department. Still, there are things he noticed during his time as police chief that he'd like to improve, if elected sheriff, he said.
"Some of the things I want to find out (are) why is there a high turnover rate, why (do) the residents in outlying areas feel like they've been forgotten about, some of the issues with the jail — I kind of want to narrow that down to find out what's going on there from the perspective of other law enforcement agencies in the county," Kozak said.
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.
