2016 Wyoming Highway Patrol Report

In a performance report from back in February, Wyoming Highway Patrol Colonel Kebin Haller acknowledged some of the WHP’s accomplishments for 2016. The focus of the report was information broken down into accomplishments for Troopers, Dispatchers, and Port of Entry Officers.

Troopers were very busy throughout the year patrolling Wyoming highways for a total of 131,528 hours. From those patrolling hours, 42,436 citations for speeding were issued, 972 driving while under the influence arrests were made, and 1,704 misdemeanor and felony drug arrest were conducted.

While enforcement of the Wyoming laws is one of the main aspects of a Trooper’s job, they are also entrusted with serving the motoring public when they need assistance. Troopers assisted the motoring public 10,575 times for various reasons. Examples of Troopers assisting citizens range from changing a tire to bringing stranded motorists gas for their vehicle.

Last year in Wyoming, Troopers investigated 6,629 motor vehicle crashes. Seventy-three of those crashes investigated were alcohol related. 112 motor vehicle fatalities were reported on Wyoming’s highways. 34 of those fatality crashes listed impaired driving as a contributing factor. 55 of those 112 fatalities listed lack of seat belt as a contributing factor.  Troopers issued 905 citations for lack or misuse of child restraints and 5,343 citations for lack or misuse of seatbelts.

Trooper’s responded to 24,939 calls for service and assisted other officers and/or law enforcement agencies 8,747 times throughout the year. Many of those calls for service included our K-9 teams, crash investigation team, and general law enforcement support.

Often times the WHP Dispatch Center is thought of as the heart of the agency. Dispatchers not only dispatch for the WHP, but they also field calls for eight other agencies. Last year alone, WHP Dispatchers dispatched 213,268 calls for service.

In 2016, The WHP Dispatch Center also took on four additional duties including Endangered Person Advisories, Amber Alert Notifications, Safe2Tell, and Probation/Patrol Warrant Entries into NCIC. Dispatchers answered 107 calls for the newly formed Safe2Tell program that started in late October of 2016.

The Wyoming Ports of Entry throughout the state had 1,364,365 trucks pass through the ports in 2016. 594,414 of those trucks were checked for of overweight violations. 33,701 of those trucks were overweight. 58,100 trucks were issued oversize permits that equaled a total of $7,726,841 in fees collected. The Ports of Entry are also tasked with finding unsafe commercial vehicles through Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance inspections. Port Officers conducted 5,734 CVSA inspections. 1336 commercial vehicles were found deemed to be unsafe to operate and were placed out of service until the violations could be fixed.

A major accomplishment in 2016 for the WHP was the lower number of fatal crashes in comparison to the previous two years. Colonel Haller stated “I believe that a significant contributing factor is due to the hard work and concentrated effort of our Troopers, Dispatchers and POE Officers all working together towards a safer Wyoming.”