In Wyoming drug-related arrests are rising, alcohol-related arrests are falling and meth arrests have doubled, according to an annual report published by the Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police (WASCOP).
Albany County had an increase in both alcohol-related arrests (from 707 in 2013 to 737 in 2014) and drug-related arrests (from 135 in 2013 to 158 in 2014).
Meth-related arrests doubled, said Ernie Johnson, a managing consultant for WASCOP who helped with the report.
“There’s been almost a 100 percent increase in meth use,” he said. “We don’t know if it’s something going on or if education isn’t as heavy as it was.”
WASCOP’s report did not provide a reason for the overall increase in drug-related arrests.
“Logically you would assume the legalization in Colorado has impacted Wyoming,” Johnson said. “But it’s still too early to tell.”
This is the first year WASCOP counted specifically the number of arrests involving marijuana. The 2014 report found that 6.35 percent of arrests in Wyoming involved marijuana.
In Albany County drug-related arrests accounted for 14.79 percent of all arrests. Albany County Sheriff David O’Malley said that number was due in part to more lenient drug laws in bordering states.
“We have had an increase and it’s directly related to legalization in Colorado,” O’Malley said. “We’re getting weed and wax and edibles in numbers we haven’t seen before.”
Chris Christian is the executive director of NORML, a cannabis legalization advocacy group, and she said she is sad to see the increase in drug arrests.
“I think since Colorado legalized, they’ve come up with mechanisms to entrap people,” Christian said. “They want to monitor Colorado because Colorado was obligated to keep it from leaving the state and obviously that’s not happening.”
Christian said drug arrests hurt the state more than the drugs they try to combat.
“They target young people,” she said. “They always have targeted young people. Anytime we arrest kids who are in college or could be going college, we throw a wrench in the works for education. A drug arrest makes it hard to get an education or a job.”
While the Laramie Police Department saw an increase in alcohol- and drug-related arrests, the UW Police Department (UWPD) saw a decrease in both.
In 2013, UWPD reported 129 alcohol involved incidents and 23 drug involved incidents. In 2014, those numbers dropped to 67 and 9 respectively.
Alcohol-related arrests fell about 3.5 percent between 2013 and 2014, which Johnson and O’Malley attribute to better educational efforts, changing societal norms and successful programs like SafeRide.
“It’s a serious issue to a lot of people,” O’Malley said. “It’s an issue that people are aware of and are taking more seriously.”
O’Malley said he is a strong supporter of SafeRide.
“There’s no excuse to risk drunk driving anymore,” he said. “It’s one of the best things to happen in Laramie. There are a large number of designated drivers who get DUI’s because they drank less than other people but are still intoxicated.”
The report also broke down the number of alcohol-related incidents in Albany County by the location of alcohol consumption. Between the Sheriff’s Office, Laramie Police, UWPD, Wyoming Highway Patrol and other law enforcement entities, the Buckhorn Bar had the most incidents in 2014 with 52, followed by the Ranger Bar with 34, 3rd Street Cowboy Bar with 16 and Mingle’s Lounge with 13.
