Sheriff:Terrorist Attack Could Happen Here

Laramie County Sheriff Danny Glick says it's a mistake to think a terrorist attack like the recent Boston Marathon bombing couldn't happen in Wyoming.

Glick says one thing that could make Wyoming a target is  the widely held belief that it wouldn't happen in such a rural, lightly populated area. He says Wyoming is in many ways ''a softer target" than cities such as Boston or New York because people are less vigilant about a possible attack.

The sheriff also says he thinks the nature of terrorism seems to be changing, with more of an emphasis on small "sleeper cells" carrying out individual attacks as opposed to large scale operations involving multiple groups carrying out coordinated attacks. Glick says such sleeper cells are especially dangerous because they can be difficult to detect and may use either foreigners or native-born Americans converted to radical views.

Glick says he is especially concerned about terrorists infiltrating the country through the border with Mexico, adding "it's not just Mexicans coming over that border". Both Glick and Cheyenne Police Chief Brian Kozak say their agencies train extensively to deal with possible terrorism, both on their own and in conjunection with other law enforcement, including federal agencies.