Daron Wyatt (Republican)

My wife Misty and I have been married for 32 years. We have two adult children, one in Laramie and the other in Minnesota. I have spent my entire adult life in public service, having spent nearly 38 years in law enforcement. Misty and I have been property owners in Albany County for 10 years and residents for nearly seven years. We love Albany County and have made it our forever home. We have adopted the Wyoming values and lifestyle and vow to protect and preserve the Wyoming way of life.

I lived in South Africa from the age of 12 until just before my 18th birthday. This was during the early to mid 1980s, and was at the height of Apartheid, essentially legalized racism. Through that experience, I learned to despise bigotry in any form.

I am a registered Republican and am running as such. However, I believe that the Office of Sheriff represents the entire community, regardless of political party or any other designation.

I look forward to serving Albany County as your next Sheriff.

I have been a sworn peace officer for nearly 38 years. I have worked virtually every aspect of policing, including patrol, gangs, vice, narcotics, homicide, SWAT, Field Training, Major Use of Force Investigations, domestic violence, child abuse and elder abuse. I was the Public Information Officer for both the police and fire departments. I am a FEMA certified Master PIO and have deployed to more than 35 major disasters across the nation. 17 years of my career has been in leadership positions.

I have a BS degree in Public Administration and a MA degree in Behavioral Science with a minor in Negotiation and Conflict Management. I have over 3500 hours of certified police training in topics including police investigative procedures, Special Weapons and Tactics, Use of Force Investigations, Leadership in Policing and more. I have taught peace officers across the United States in various aspects of investigating homicides and major cases. I am a currently certified Peace Officer in Wyoming.

I am a member of the Laramie Chamber Business Alliance, Rotary Club of Laramie, and the Cowboy Joe Club. I am a Board Member for the Laramie Police Department Foundation, and an Advisory Board Member for the National Homicide Investigators' Association, as well as the National Leadership Crucible Foundation. My wife and I attend church in Laramie and support several Laramie activities including Laramie Jubilee Days, Little Pokes Rodeo, UW Rodeo Foundation, and the Laramie Winter Lights Festival.

I am running for the Sheriff of Albany County because I believe that the residents of Albany County deserve a Sheriff who has real policing experience, and real leadership experience. A leader who has actually done the work and has intimate knowledge of what his staff is challenged to do. A leader who doesn't just make promises, but actually follows through.

I firmly believe that the foundation of any organization is leadership, and leadership starts at the top. If elected, I vow to lead with character and integrity. I will hold myself and every member of the organization accountable. I will be approachable and will serve the people of Albany County with humility. I will be transparent with the community in good times and in bad. And I will be available and invested in the community, both rural and urban.

For the past six years I have completed around 500 pre-employment background investigations for police agencies across several states. I know first-hand the challenges of finding qualified personnel, but I have also seen the disasters brought on by lowering hiring standards. I will only hire the most qualified deputies.

My guiding principles are:

COMMUNITY FIRST - All decisions should be made with the community's best interest in mind
ACCOUNTABILITY – From the top to the bottom. Leadership through accountability.
PROFESSIONALISM – A professional force develops confidence and trust from the public
EXCELLENCE – We will strive through every contact to attain excellence

1. FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY:
The People's Initiative could cause a significant decline in revenue for the county. The sheriff's office recently entered into a new contract with a medical provider for inmate medical services in the Detention Center. The new contract was with the current provider, even though there was a clause in the prior contract that allowed for an extension. The fact the Sheriff chose to go to bid rather than extend the contract caused a 14% or more increase in the cost, and more than 40% of the contract is for non-medical issues. The new contract is for over $900,00 per year. The per inmate cost is double what neighboring counties are paying. Now is the time to be smart in our spending, something the current Sheriff has failed to do.

2. SAFETY AND SECURITY IN THE DETENTION CENTER:
The Albany County Detention Center has averaged approximately one in-custody death per year over the past 5 years. That number is significantly higher than many of the surrounding counties, including some that house 7-8 times more inmates on a daily basis. That is absolutely unacceptable. I will ensure that policies, procedures, and best practices are actually being followed, as well as expand resources for those in crisis.

3. RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION:
We will engage in a policy of hiring the most qualified personnel for all positions. We will not relax hiring standards which undermines the organization. We will "hire them right, train them right, and treat them right."