Cheyenne, Wyoming is the largest city in Wyoming, but it is also a very small city in the nation. There are only 65,000 people in the city, but there are still great outdoor activities and some good jobs in the area. If you’re considering a move to the area, you might be concerned about the local crime rate.
There is not a lot of crime in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Cheyenne does have some high rates of crime per capita, but mostly because of its low population. Most residents agree that there is little reason to be concerned about crime when living in Cheyenne.
Crime in Cheyenne can seem bad on paper, but most residents have very little concern for it. Violent crime is pretty low and can mostly be avoided with some good judgment. Keep reading to find out what you need to know about crime in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Violent Crime
Homicides in Cheyenne are in the low single digits most years. In 2021, there were 4 homicides recorded by the city police department.
Assaults are more common, but generally don’t occur between complete strangers. These usually occur between people who know each other and involve some sort of substance abuse. This isn’t always what is going on, but it normally is and you’re not at a huge risk.
Rape and sexual assault are also not very common and tend to occur between family or friends. There were about 20 of these in the first half of 2021.
Overall, violent crime is higher per capita in Cheyenne than in other cities, but it tends to occur between family, friends, and people who associate with each other. If you choose who you spend your time around and what activities you engage in, you’ll greatly reduce your risk of violent crime.
Property Crime
Unfortunately, property crime is higher in Cheyenne, especially this year. Acts of vandalism, theft of vehicle parts, and theft have been fairly high. It’s not exactly clear why, but you are at a higher risk of crimes against your property in Cheyenne.
There were about 300 counts of property damage/vandalism, 262 counts of shoplifting, and 300 thefts from a vehicle in the first half of 2022. This has gotten bad enough that the mayor asked for the community’s help in April to report property crime when they see it. Much of the crime is smaller things that just seem like senseless crimes. Things like breaking into public bathrooms and ruining the grass on soccer fields.
There are some drug problems in the area, with people transporting and dealing illegal drugs like fentanyl in the area. Cheyenne can be a boring and somewhat dreary town during parts of the year, so some people turn to drugs like in most other cities. This tends to be the more concerning issue for most residents of the city, simply because of the other behaviors that accompany using and dealing with illegal drugs.
Part of the problem in the area lately is the lack of prosecution for some small crimes due to an incompetent district attorney.
Law Enforcement in The Area
Law enforcement in Cheyenne is generally looked on fairly well, but there have been some people on Reddit complaining about the district attorney.
District Attorney Leigh Ann Manlove has come under fire in 2022 for general incompetence as the DA for Laramie county. They found that she exaggerated budget cuts as an excuse for dropping cases. She left many cases to go unprosecuted and has been considered for disbarment. The damage she did could go on for a few years since she fired much of the staff when she took office.
The DA’s office is the biggest problem with Cheyenne law enforcement at this time. With so many cases going unprosecuted, it encourages some of the property crime issues in the area. Cheyenne is fairly conservative though and once a new DA enters office this will likely be curbed to a degree.
Officer-involved shootings are very rare, limited to usually 0 or 1 a year. There have been 2 in 2022 so far with one of those being with a Nebraska man that was a suspect in a homicide. This was somewhat shocking for the community since this is uncommon.
What Areas to Avoid
Cheyenne is not a large city and avoiding crime in the area has much more to do with who to avoid rather than where. Generally, though the crime that does occur tends to be focused more in the area of town in and around downtown. These neighborhoods are older with more run-down dwellings.
Avoiding crime really does come down more to the people you associate with rather than where you are living. Besides vehicle theft, most crimes in the area happen between people who know each other. You are much more likely to get in a fight with someone you already know and are around in Cheyenne than you are to be jumped on the street. You are also much more likely to be raped by someone you know than you are by some random person.
In speaking with a local resident, they mentioned that besides the drug problems in the area most residents are not very concerned with crime in the city.
There are some drug problems and alcohol abuse problems in the city and a lot of the crime involves one of those factors or is motivated by those factors. Cheyenne is a rather sleepy town, some might even say boring at times and that can cause some people to get into trouble. Avoiding getting involved in drugs and not spending too much time hanging around people doing them is one of the best ways to keep yourself safe.
It’s also best to know how your friends do with their alcohol consumption. If they’re the type of person that tends to drink way more than they should and that makes extra poor decisions when drunk it’s probably best to avoid hanging out with them in that state. Don’t write those friends off, but you need to use good judgment to keep yourself safe.
