Crime and Law Enforcement

From Sustaining Jackson Hole Wiki

Calls for assistance and reports made to law-enforcement officials increased by 18 percent from 1995 to 1999. After that five-year period, local law-enforcement officials changed to a new system of reporting calls made to the Teton County Sheriff’s Office and the Jackson Police Department. Calls recorded by the new reporting system increased 64 percent between 2000 and 2003. (See table 11-1).

While calls made to the Sheriff’s Office and Police Department to request assistance were up, the number of incidents of crime in Teton County remained somewhat level in the last 12 years, according to statistics reported to the state of Wyoming. (See table 11-2). There are some exceptions: rape incidents increased, while drunkenness and driving under the influence arrests decreased.

The Jackson Police Department handles a majority of the calls for service, largely because the Town of Jackson is Teton County’s population center and contains more homes, businesses, restaurants and bars. In 2002, the Police Department handled about 64 percent of the events assigned by dispatchers. The Police Department also made about 79 percent of adult arrests, 91 percent of juvenile arrests and 54 percent of traffic stops.

From 1993 to 2005, the Jackson Police Department budget has increased from $1.22 million to $2.00 million. In that decade, the department’s staff has increased from 24 to 31 full-time employees, and 17 to 21 sworn officers. The budget for the Teton County Sheriff’s Office, which oversees dispatch and the jail, nearly doubled from $2.14 million to $4.09 million between 1993 and 2005. Full-time employees increased from 52 to 67. Patrol deputies increased from 11 to 16, and dispatchers increased from 7 to 13.

Sources: Teton County Sheriff’s Office, Jackson Police Department, State of Wyoming