'New sheriff in town' addresses businesspeople concerned about crime in the county

Nov. 3—CHEYENNE — Addressing a crowd of local businesspeople who said they were "concerned" with crime in the area, the Laramie County sheriff touted the changes his administration had made to the office since he started nearly a year ago.

Sheriff Brian Kozak gave a presentation at the Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce luncheon Friday afternoon, eliciting cheers and applause for changes he'd made from the administration of former Sheriff Danny Glick. Attendees also applauded on several occasions when he emphasized that his deputies would be tough on crime, addressing concerns Chamber members had about a perceived increase of crime in the county.

When introducing the sheriff, Chamber President Dale Steenbergen highlighted the work Cheyenne had done to get legislation passed to decrease retail crime.

"Sheriff, thanks for being here today ... what he does, well, it's something pretty cool," Steenbergen said. "... Crime challenges businesses across the country."

The sheriff began his remarks by comparing his job to a lava lamp. He said the agency he inherited, like a lava lamp, was outdated. He also said that the agency's motto "looked cool," like a lava lamp, but needed to be revitalized for his staff. Continuing the metaphor, he said the Laramie County Sheriff's office was not very bright at the beginning of his tenure.

He used the metaphor to frame the changes he made to the agency, which began with a new set of commitments chosen by deputies and staffers.

Much of his speech was spent describing how these changes, like more warrant searches and increased staffing, have made a positive impact on crime in the county. He continued by saying that, since crime statistics are not often up-to-date, Laramie County is doing better than it seems.

"Right now, they're going to say, 'Hey, what's with the high crime in Cheyenne? I'm not moving there,'" he said. "You can tell them, 'Hey, the sheriff has a plan, it's going down. We're putting the bad guys in jail again,' all right?"

Throughout Friday's luncheon, the Chamber ran a virtual poll where attendees could reply with their level of concern about crime in Laramie County, including "not concerned," "lightly concerned" or "very concerned." In the middle of Kozak's speech, the poll showed that 57% of respondents said they were "very concerned" with crime in the county, and roughly 90% of respondents were either "lightly" or "very concerned."

The sheriff also brought back his popular "Catch a Fugitive" game, where deputies and members of the public drop a coin in a makeshift arcade game display to highlight local people with warrants out for their arrest. When he announced the game, many people in the room chanted the slogan along with them, and clapped as the sheriff announced that deputies would put extra focus into catching the selected fugitive.

Before calling on a crowd member to play the game, Kozak played two advertisements the agency has circulated recently. One advertisement, meant to attract new applicants, asked potential deputies to move somewhere "where breaking the law is still illegal." The line got a protracted burst of laughter and applause from the audience.

"That certainly targeted Denver ... (and) New Hampshire," Kozak said over the laughter, "and places where law enforcement are sick and tired of their job because they're not appreciated for what they're doing, criminals are being let go. ... We can go out and do our job, and the community's not spitting on us."

Kozak made a joke criticizing Mayor Patrick Collins, who replaced him as chief of the Cheyenne Police Department early in his tenure as mayor.

"So, a new mayor came in, and crime just shot way up," he said. "Twice the rate, out of control: auto theft, break-ins, burglaries. Of course, I was not happy about that ... well, maybe a little bit."

He attributed the rise in crime to issues with the Laramie County District Attorney's office and restrictions on the county jail brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. After those restrictions were lifted, he said the problem continued due to an exodus of deputies who worked in the jail.

"One of the reasons why I wanted to run for sheriff was to open the dang jail and keep it open," he said, "because that's where criminals need to be brought to."

He said that his primary goals when taking office, which he felt were on their way to being met, were investing in employees, connecting with businesses and the community, and lowering crime and recidivism. One of the examples he gave was the steps the agency had been taking to address the population in the jail with mental health issues, like connecting people with social workers. He also highlighted the work the agency had done on getting a pod in the jail specifically for people experiencing mental illness.

He also noted that since last month's rigorous jail search that he called a "shakedown," deputies now search cells every day.

"We're making them clean their room," he joked.

Kozak said the pod in the jail with the cleanest cells would get a pizza party.

After Kozak finished his speech and an audience member played the "Catch a Fugitive" game, Chamber board president Paula Poythress expressed her surprise at the sheriff's performance.

"Wow, who knew it would be so fun to watch a sheriff?" she said. "I had no idea that you guys did this kind of stuff, so, thank you, Sheriff Kozak. ... Obviously there's a new sheriff in town, right?"

Samir Knox is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's criminal justice and public safety reporter. He can be reached by email at sknox@wyomingnews.com or by phone at 307-633-3152. Follow him on Twitter at @bySamirKnox.