It is the silly season – when candidates for public office spout off and attack others to bolster their own campaigns – and when telling the truth is optional.
A recent example was published in Cowboy State Daily on April 7, when candidate for sheriff, Brian Kozak, accused me of a “land-grabbing for property revenue but not expanding public safety resources at the same rate." He claimed the “Sheriff’s Department and County Fire Districts have to pick up the slack."
Nothing could be further from the truth, and the numbers don’t lie.
The Cheyenne City Council adopted a goal of annexing county pockets in 2022. A county pocket was defined as a parcel of property located in unincorporated Laramie County that is 100% surrounded by the City of Cheyenne - basically, islands of county property inside city limits.
The City Council was concerned with incidents where public safety response might be delayed because of confusion as to which agency should respond – city or county.
How did county pockets happen? Over the years, as property owners brought their property into the city via voluntary annexation, some county property got left behind and surrounded in that process.
In the over 150 years that Cheyenne has existed, 328 parcels were found to be in county pockets when the city council goal was initiated.
Let’s do the math on Kozak’s accusation – that the annexations are for property tax revenues.
We started the county pocket annexation goal with 328 properties - including 227 homes in the pockets. Folks, simple math shows the City will receive an additional $34,833.11 from the annexations.
With our General Fund of $80 million – these additional revenues won’t even pay the benefits for one firefighter or police officer. Does that sound like a revenue grab?
In addition to the council’s concern for public safety response, our County Clerk has asked for specific county pocket annexations.
We learned from the Clerk that small precincts located in county pockets make it possible to see how people voted. The sanctity of the ballot is critical, so we prioritized those precincts.
The city also annexes lands being developed on our city border. Some examples are the new Sweetgrass subdivision across from LCCC, business parks, and vacant land where the owners of the property ask to be part of the city.
They believe being in the city and having access to city water and sewer services will make their development more successful. Property owners initiate the vast majority of annexations to the city.
Let’s talk about Kozak’s accusation that Cheyenne is not prioritizing public safety and our efforts are not keeping up with growth.
I was elected mayor in November 2020 and took office in January 2021. Kozak left his position as chief of Cheyenne’s police department at that time.
He was authorized 107 police officers and the department had 99 active officers hired.
Today under Chief Francisco, the department is authorized 115 police officers and our staffing stands at 114. We have increased authorized officers by 7.5% and actual staffing by 15%.
In addition to hiring more officers, the department has invested in technology and specialized teams to combat crime.
What do the numbers say? The annual report from the police department shows crime was down 16% from 2023 to 2024, and down an additional 8% last year.
We have hired a crime analyst to turn raw data into useful intelligence that police officers can act on.
They look at crime trends, hot spots, and time patterns – use GIS to map where crimes occur – write reports to help patrol shifts – link related cases and suspects – and measure outcomes.
This helps the department move from reactive policing to data-driven policing – putting the right resources in the right place at the right time.
Chief Francisco created a Crime Prevention Team – made up of a Sergeant and three officers. This team’s only job is to focus on crimes and solve them.
Working with the crime analyst, they are making a difference. Retailers have shared the team has saved them literally millions of dollars in stopping shoplifting and retail crime. The team has broken up burglary rings and stopped the folks stealing catalytic converters. They added staff, properly deployed, is taking a bite out of crime.
Technology is making a difference. Urban SDK is a data analytic and mapping tool used by Cheyenne to study traffic patterns and speeds – giving our officers insight on where to maximize their patrol time.
Combined with additional funding for overtime for traffic patrols, resulting in 46% more cars stopped for traffic offenses in 2025 and the high-visibility enforcement reducing crashes by 43%.
Cheyenne has also invested in Automatic License Plate Readers.
These cameras helped apprehend a Wyoming rapist who was found lurking around a high school looking for his next victim, helped identify a burglar who broke into a local pharmacy, and helped with the arrest of a driver that sped away from officers who had to stop pursuit due to safety concerns.
The cameras identified the vehicle, and the police were able to safely arrest the suspect later. Technology is a force multiplier.
What about the Fire Department? In January 2021, I inherited a department authorized 86 firefighters and staffed by 85.
Today our department is authorized to have 100 firefighters – two new deputy chiefs and staffed by 98 firefighters. Authorized staffing is 16% higher and staffed with 15% more firefighters working for our residents than when I took office.
Chief Kopper and I looked at the growth of the city and where our fire department response needed improvement.
That led to our request to place three new fire stations on the 2021 6th Penny sales tax ballot. Laramie County voters were awesome, and the request was approved.
That resulted in the addition of one more fire station location and the realignment of other stations to maximize response times.
We will vote on the next 6th Penny sales tax on Aug. 18. Cheyenne is growing to the south, and we have a request on the ballot to build a new fire station on land we have already purchased near the corner of College Drive and South Greeley Highway.
The new location was chosen to maximize response to the new growth in Sweetgrass, Harmony Valley, and business development south of College Drive. Again, we’re investing in public safety for our residents.
In addition to the new stations, we instituted an apparatus replacement program to replace fire engines before they become a liability. Four were replaced in 2024, and three more are on order today to keep our fleet current.
In the past few years, Cheyenne Fire Rescue became one of just over 300 fire departments in the world to be accredited by the Center for Public Safety Excellence – investments making sure our fire department brings their best to our community.
The reality of our situation in Cheyenne and Laramie County is all our public safety organizations need each other and step up to help when needed. I am proud of how they work together for the benefit of our residents.
I am saddened that a candidate for office would disparage the hard-working professional police officers and firefighters serving our Cheyenne by taking a shot at me in his effort to retain his office.
Patrick Collins is the Mayor of Cheyenne
