Crime is on the rise in Wyoming's capital city.

According to a 2015 Annual Report released by the Cheyenne Police Department today, police staffing is at its lowest level in recent history which has led to an increase in crime.

"The city saw a 16 percent increase in Part 1 crimes in 2015 and an 81 percent increase in violent crime," the report said. "Police staffing has not increased proportionally with the city and the department currently has an authorized staffing of 1.63 officers per 1,000 residents."

To reach the U.S. average of 2.3 per 1,000, the department would need to hire 42 more officers.

The lack of officers has led to delayed response times and the inability to investigate all crimes. Officers also have less time for community policing and traffic enforcement because they're too busy responding to calls.

"The department saw a 12 percent increase in calls from 2014 to 2015 and patrol officers handled 33 percent more calls than officers in other communities," the report said. "Day shift officers have only 10 percent proactive policing time where the national best practices recommend officers have 40 percent proactive policing time."

Despite the lack of resources, the department was able to lower the crime rate by nearly 40 percent during the last six years to a point where it was equal to the national average in 2014.

However, the increased demand for service will begin to have a negative impact as the department is becoming reactive, instead of proactive.

Joy Greenwald, Townsquare Media
Joy Greenwald, Townsquare Media
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