A ceremony to honor the 61 Wyoming law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty since 1871 will be held on Friday at the Wyoming Law Enforcement Academy in Douglas.

That's according to Wyoming Highway Patrol spokesman Jeremy Beck

You can see a list of the 61 Wyoming officers who have perished in office according to the Officer Down Memorial page here.

According to that page, the list includes five members of both the Cheyenne Police Department and Laramie County Sheriff's Office.

Two members of the Wyoming Highway Patrol have died in the line of duty, as has one patrol K9.

Three members of the Albany County Sheriff's Office have died on duty, as have three members of the Natrona County Sheriff's Office and once Casper Police Officer.

Friday's ceremony is being held in conjunction with National Police Week. President John F. Kennedy proclaimed May 15 as National Police Day and the week around that date as National Police Week in 1962.

In 2022, 246 police officers in the United States died in the line of duty  according to Beck.

The Wyoming ceremony is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Friday, May 19 at the Law Enforcement Academy.

 

2022's Deadliest Wyoming County by Traffic Deaths

While car crashes can occur anywhere, some roads in Wyoming are more dangerous than others.

According to Wyoming Highway Patrol data, there were 117 fatal crashes in the Cowboy State in 2022 resulting in 133 deaths.

Of those fatal crashes, the majority (13.68%) occurred in Laramie County -- two in January, one in February, one in March, two in April, one in June, two in July, three in August, two in September, one in November, and one in December.

Sweetwater County saw the second most fatal crashes last year, 12, while Fremont and Lincoln counties each saw 10.

Albany and Park counties each recorded eight, and Campbell, Converse, and Natrona counties each tallied seven.

The deadliest 2022 crash in Laramie County took place on June 17 when two semis collided on Interstate 80 east of Cheyenne and immediately became engulfed in flames killing both drivers and a passenger.



Laramie County also saw two fatal crashes involving motorcyclists, two fatal crashes involving juveniles, and a fatal crash involving a pedestrian last year.

Below is the Wyoming Highway Patrol narrative of every fatal crash that occurred in Laramie County in 2022.