Wyoming troopers brief Judiciary Committee on 10-day Texas deployment, urge investment in equipment and interoperability

A contingent of Wyoming Highway Patrol personnel briefed the Wyoming House Judiciary Committee on a 10‑day deployment to Eagle Pass and Del Rio, Texas, where they joined Texas Department of Public Safety operations, described as Operation Lone Star, to help with border interdiction and criminal investigations.

The troopers said the deployment, paid for through the Wyoming Homeland Security Office using grant funds, provided experience with larger operations and highlighted gaps in equipment and data interoperability back home.

Lieutenant Clint Christiansen, a patrol lieutenant based in Casper, told the committee he spent his assignment working with Texas’ criminal investigative division and that Texas’ use of drones and an integrated TAC (tactical awareness and communications) system allowed teams to see live aerial and drone feeds on smartphones and coordinate assets before arriving on site. “When they would put a drone up … you could click on the drone and watch live feed from the drone,” Christiansen said.

Trooper Ethan Smith of Laramie described…