Laramie police report three potential bias-related crimes in 2024, urge reporting and explain NIBRS transition

Laramie Police Chief Christopher Brown presented the department's annual bias-crime and bias-incident report to the City Council on Feb. 25, saying the city ordinance requires the department to provide an annual summary.

"City of Laramie ordinance 9.0802 requires that the police department and the chief of police or his designee provide an annual report in regards to our bias crime collection and also our bias incidents within the city," Brown said.

Brown explained the difference between a bias incident and a bias crime, saying an "incident is something that may not rise to the level of a crime" and that some speech is constitutionally protected. He noted the national changeover from the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) system to the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), and told council members that NIBRS breaks offenses into more granular categories.

For 2024, the Laramie Police Department recorded three potentially bias-related crimes and no documented bias incidents reported to the department, Brown said. He described the three reports as follows: one incident that led to citations for disorderly conduct and harassment (which Brown said he could confirm was bias-related) and two other reports that the department could not substantively link to bias due to lack of suspects or footage — a flag found on the ground and a windshield-wiper broken on a vehicle. In both cases the department logged the reports to give federal partners access for further review.

Brown told council members that the accuracy of reported bias incidents is limited by what community members report and by reporting practices elsewhere: "If community members are not comfortable reporting crimes to the police department, then we may not have some of that data. Specifically, bias incidents, are extremely incredibly difficult to track." He also said the department's records system is robust and that extracting the report is largely a matter of staff time.

Council members asked about reporting options and protections; Brown said the city's online reporting tool can accept anonymous submissions and that residents may also report concerns to city officials who will forward them to police. He said the department routinely forwards potential threats and ongoing concerns to state and federal partners through Wyoming's fusion center and the Department of Criminal Investigation.

Public commenter Linda Devine praised the police chief and urged continued outreach and tracking for incidents that harm residents without rising to criminal charges. Brown encouraged residents to contact police or city officials when they see possible bias-related incidents to allow the department to document and vet them.

Ending — Brown closed by reminding the public the department is available to discuss suspected bias incidents and that accurate tracking depends on community reporting; councilors thanked him for the report and asked staff to continue outreach on reporting options.