Riverton police present 2024 annual report, cite staffing gains, tech upgrades and DUI task force results

Riverton City Council received the Police Department's 2024 annual report at its March 18 meeting, where department leaders described high call volumes, technology investments and staffing steps they say are intended to improve patrol capacity and community safety.

Chief Hurtado opened the presentation and asked administration and patrol leaders to summarize accomplishments and needs. "This is a team effort," the chief said as a series of unit leads reviewed operations.

Captain Romero, who oversees dispatch, criminal investigations, animal control and victim services, noted animal-control intakes and pointed to dispatch workload as a major operational driver. "In 2023, dispatch received over 30,000 calls administratively. And then again in 2024, over 30,000, almost 31,000 calls," lead dispatcher Sarah Nelson told the council, describing the center's role in creating call tickets that become police reports and in entering NIBRS crime data.

Detective Sergeant Smith described investigative capacity constraints after the department operated one detective short for much of 2024. Detectives led or assisted as primary investigators on more than 70 major-felony incidents last year; about 10 of those cases remained active at the time of the report. The department's victim-witness team, led by coordinator Cindy Harris, provides 24/7 support and conducts referrals, court accompaniment and advocacy; the report notes the largest client groups are adult physical-assault and domestic-violence victims and that most victims served fall in the 18'to'9 age range.

School resource officers Officer Larson and Officer Amos described a rise in incidents involving THC vape devices at the high school and middle school and said vape detectors in several school bathrooms have helped staff detect use. Larson said the SROs now cover the entire district with two officers following earlier staffing reductions and that the department is pursuing grant funding to restore a third SRO position.

Community service officers Jeffrey Manning and Officer Dopp reported they handled roughly 630 incident calls this year that otherwise would have fallen to patrol officers, including welfare checks, VIN checks, parking and cold-property disputes. Lieutenant Wharton summarized patrol training and equipment: firearms instructors, taser and driving training, and certification oversight through the Wyoming Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission and the Wyoming Law Enforcement Academy.

On technology, the department said it is rolling out mobile data terminals (MDTs) in patrol cars, testing electronic citations (eCitation), and deploying digital evidence tools including NICE recording and the Oscar360 3D-scene product for recreating scenes for investigators and juries. The chief said the department purchased three used patrol Tahoes to get vehicles on the streets faster and has a new transport van on order; several technology items are grant-funded or cost-shared with county partners.

Staffing was presented as improving but still in flux. The department reported 26 sworn officers on the roster with two current vacancies and two military reservists expected to return later in the year. The department said three recruits were scheduled to graduate from the state training academy in coming weeks.

Leaders also highlighted the Fremont County DUI Task Force, a multiagency effort they said produced visible enforcement and declines in alcohol-related incidents. The department reported that, in roughly 10'11 operations last year, the task force made about 882 traffic stops leading to 242 citations and 70 arrests, and that countywide crashes and injury crashes had fallen compared with recent years. Lieutenant Wharton framed the task force as a deterrent: increased visibility lowered call volume while teams were deployed.

Council members asked about specific incidents and staffing timelines. Chief Hurtado described a recent vehicle-theft series over a weekend: patrol coordination and a dispatcher's tip led to arrests of three juveniles and recovery of stolen vehicles; the department said additional charges and restitution requests were pending. "We would not be able to do this without officers out on the streets," Hurtado said.

Lieutenant Wharton commented on technology potential: "The AI and the technologies they have out now, can literally quadruple the size of your force without adding a single person to it," he said, urging investment in systems integration that would tie cameras, in-car modems and evidence platforms to patrol tools.

The presentation closed with council praise for the department's workload and staffing commitment and a pledge to provide copies of the slide deck on request.