I am writing to you as a former Wyoming Highway Patrol Trooper, a graduate of WHP Class 91, and someone who proudly began my law enforcement career serving the people of Wyoming. I served in Jackson Hole and later Gillette, and I did so with commitment, professionalism, and pride in wearing the uniform of the Wyoming Highway Patrol.
I no longer serve the State of Wyoming—not because I wanted to leave, but because the State made it increasingly impossible to stay.
During my 4.5 years with the Wyoming Highway Patrol, I experienced firsthand the growing retention crisis that continues to plague the agency today. Low pay, excessive mandatory hours, minimal opportunities for advancement, and a persistent lack of meaningful support from the State ultimately forced my departure in early 2020. Most troubling, during my tenure, my take-home pay actually decreased after the State increased employee health benefit contributions—effectively penalizing troopers financially while asking them to do more with less.
The Wyoming Highway Patrol Association has repeatedly raised alarms about staffing shortages, burnout, forced overtime, and the long-term risks these conditions create—not just for troopers, but for the motoring public. Yet year after year, state leadership offers reassurance, praise, and promises, while failing to enact the structural changes necessary to retain experienced troopers.
Lip service does not keep patrol cars staffed.
Virtue signaling does not reduce fatigue.
And appreciation does not pay mortgages.
I now live and work in California, still within law enforcement. While California unquestionably has a higher cost of living, I am able to live comfortably and sustainably due to competitive compensation, collective bargaining, overtime opportunities, and incentives designed to retain experienced officers. The contrast is stark and, frankly, embarrassing for a state that prides itself on supporting law enforcement.
Wyoming asks its troopers to cover vast distances, work extreme hours, operate with limited backup, and accept risks most agencies will never face—yet fails to compensate or protect them accordingly. When troopers are working 20-plus-hour shifts, repeatedly called out overnight, and expected to function with little to no sleep, the issue is no longer morale. It is public safety.
I can say without hesitation: this environment nearly got me killed.
If the current trajectory continues, it is not a question of if someone will be seriously injured or killed due to fatigue and understaffing—it is when. And when that happens, the responsibility will rest squarely on the State’s failure to act when it had years of warning.
The time to address these issues was years ago. The next best time is now.
The State of Wyoming must decide whether it truly supports its law-enforcement officers or whether support exists only in speeches and press releases. Retention requires real investment: competitive pay, sustainable schedules, meaningful incentives, and genuine partnership with the troopers who put their lives on the line every day.
Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers deserve more than praise.
They deserve action.
Respectfully,
P.S. – While I haven’t been part of the WHP for several years, I still want to see my former partners earn what they deserve.
Former Wyoming Highway Patrol Trooper #60
WHP Class 91
Jackson Hole & Gillette