Laramie County sheriff candidate Boyd Wrede wants fair pay, respect for deputies

Nov. 7—CHEYENNE — A 21-year veteran of the Cheyenne Police Department is the latest to announce his candidacy for Laramie County sheriff.

Laramie County native Boyd Wrede said he's running because he wants to help restore respect to the Laramie County Sheriff's Office, give its law enforcement officers and other staff proper compensation and build connections between law enforcement and residents in the county.

"What motivated me to do this was seeing how, over the years, the sheriff's department had kind of lost the respect that they used to have," Wrede said. "And then working firsthand on joint teams with the police department and sheriff's department ... (I saw) some of the demands that the sheriff's department required of their deputies and the way they treated those deputies that I didn't think was right," such as having to pay recertification fees out of pocket.

Wrede will host a campaign event from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Airport Golf Club, 4801 Central Ave.

He grew up riding and training horses, and said he understands ranching life and the priorities of people who live in rural areas. He's been married for 29 years and has two adult children who also live in Laramie County.

Wrede joined the police department in 1998. He retired as a sergeant in 2018 after serving in multiple roles, including on the bomb squad, on the Mounted Patrol Unit and as a detective. He still consults with the department as a subject matter expert.

Before his law enforcement service, Wrede also spent four years as a 911 operator in Laramie County.

If elected sheriff, Wrede said his first priority would be to institute a structured pay scale to help attract and retain deputies. It would be a step toward showing deputies they're valued, along with regular training once or twice a month, he said.

Wrede acknowledged the desire to have more deputies out in the county. But more importantly, he said, the sheriff's office needs to re-establish human connections in rural areas.

"We need deputies in the county driving the county roads, learning who owns the property, learning how to read a brand, so if they see cattle on the road, they know who to call," he said. "They need to know who these landowners are — they need to stop and make contact. If they see somebody moving cattle, they need to stop and just visit."

Wrede said he doesn't want to second-guess decisions made by Laramie County jail staff regarding COVID-19 policies, but he still questions why the jail — which typically has fewer than 400 occupants — would refuse any arrestee when students in both the county's school districts have been attending class in person with hundreds of other students for more than a year and a half.

This issue comes down to fear of liability, and it's the same reason the sheriff's office spends hours having arrestees with potential injuries or other health issues checked out at Cheyenne Regional Medical Center, Wrede said, rather than by the jail's medical staff. The process uses unnecessary time and resources, because two deputies have to be with that arrestee at all times.

Wrede said he wants to reduce this fear of liability among deputies and show them they're trusted so they can go out and do their jobs.

"As long as you're acting in good faith and you're doing everything you can correctly, even if you get sued ... the chances of losing that are slim," he said.

In a Wednesday news release announcing his candidacy, Wrede said he would "be tough on crime and work hand in hand with the district attorney's office and the courts to make sure we hold people accountable for their actions." He added that he would also work closely with local chiefs of police.

"Boyd understands that the position of sheriff is not about one person, it is about mentoring the men and women of the office, as well as being visible and responsive to the people," the news release said. "It is teamwork with community, family, businesses and law enforcement."

After retiring from CPD, Wrede took up training cutting horses, which he said he'd return to after serving as sheriff.

"I'm not a politician, I'm not looking to pad my resume. I truly believe that I can fix the sheriff's department and the morale problems and bring back respect to that agency," Wrede said. "I don't want to do this forever — I just want to go fix the injustices that I see, get (the sheriff's office) back on track."

Wrede joins fellow Republicans James Barth, Don Hollingshead, Brian Kozak and Patrick Long in the race to replace long-time Sheriff Danny Glick, who is retiring at the end of 2022.

Hannah Black is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's criminal justice reporter. She can be reached at hblack@wyomingnews.com or 307-633-3128. Follow her on Twitter at @hannahcblack.