City goes ahead with law enforcement contract

The City of Sundance is moving ahead with its plan for the Crook County Sheriff’s Office to start providing law enforcement coverage in the new year. The contract has been reviewed and the council has directed City Attorney Mark Hughes to move ahead with the necessary steps to allow Circuit Court to handle ordinance cases.

“I don’t have any real concerns with it,” said Hughes of the contract under review. However, he noted that it does not contain information about enforcing city ordinances, which is something the Sheriff’s Office does not have the authority to do.

Mayor Paul Brooks confirmed that Public Works Director Mac Erickson will be given the authority to enforce ordinances, with deputies backing him up where necessary.

He pointed out that this is unlikely to cause issues as there have been very few instances in which city police have been brought in to compel citizens to adhere to those ordinances, and this will likely not change in the future.

He gave the example of asking a city resident to move a derelict vehicle to meet the terms of the nuisance ordinance. Deputies will likely be called upon for backup rarely, he reiterated, such as if there’s a “knock-down, drag-out fight” over a request of this nature.

Police Chief Marty Noonan noted that Sheriff’s Office deputies have the ability to handle some ordinance citations as “breach of peace,” which is a state statute. The sheriff has also indicated that, if there is an issue, Erickson will be provided with support.

Brooks noted that the city will be saving $12,500 per year by eliminating municipal court, stating that, “very, very few citations” are handled there. Hughes was given authorization to petition the Wyoming Supreme Court to allow Circuit Court to handle these cases instead.

Council Member Joe Wilson asked if the council should consider that it might be removing a tool for future councils by going ahead with this plan.

“We have the right to cancel that contract at any time,” replied Hughes, assuring Wilson and the rest of the council that the contract does not permanently change anything and the council can change its mind if it feels the city is not getting the service it needs.

Present at the council meeting for the last time in the role of police chief, Noonan said that he feels the council has made the right decision to contract with the Sheriff’s Office, considering the economic forecast. Marking Noonan’s retirement at the end of the month, the mayor thanked him for the great job he did as the head of the police department, saying he was “the right guy at the right time” to take on the role and made an impact during his tenure.