 - The local multi-agency committee that was recently formed to address ongoing public safety concerns in the Gardens North subdivision north of Riverton has already identified some “immediate fixes” that could be implemented to improve conditions in the area, Fremont County Sheriff Ryan Lee said this week.){kind=link}
(Lander, WY) – The local multi-agency committee that was recently formed to address ongoing public safety concerns in the Gardens North subdivision north of Riverton has already identified some “immediate fixes” that could be implemented to improve conditions in the area, Fremont County Sheriff Ryan Lee said this week.
The committee met for the first time on Monday, Lee said, and they had a “pretty productive roundtable discussion” about possible solutions.
“It went very well,” he told the Fremont County Commission during a regular meeting Tuesday. “The homeowners were very grateful that we were there. They had a lot of questions, (and) we had the answers for them.”
In addition to the homeowners, Lee said the group that met Monday included himself, Commission Attorney Nathan Maxon, Riverton Police Department Chief Eric Hurtado, Riverton Mayor Tim Hancock, Riverton City Administrator Kyle Butterfield, Fremont County Fire Protection District Chief Ron Wempen, Fremont County Public Health officials, and Commissioners Ron Fabrizius and Jennifer Wilson.
The committee talked about “multiple public safety concerns” during the meeting, Lee said, including law enforcement issues, the potential annexation of the neighborhood into the City of Riverton, and strategies for addressing abandoned buildings in the area.
“It was a very positive discussion,” Lee said. “Some immediate fixes are in the works.”
For example, Lee said he agreed to help contact the owners of some of the abandoned buildings in the area to see if they would let the neighborhood Home Owners Association post “no trespassing” signs on their properties, so we can actively patrol those areas and arrest folks if necessary.”
Meanwhile, local public health officials are going to look into their options for addressing abandoned structures that may pose health risks, Lee said, and Maxon will research state statutes to determine “what authority the local fire chief may have” to condemn properties that are deemed as fire hazards.
The committee will likely schedule another meeting to follow up on the discussion once those tasks have been completed, Lee said – though he noted that the City of Riverton may not be in attendance.
“They spoke to what they could and couldn’t, obviously, assist with, and the annexation process and all that,” Lee said, referring to this week’s meeting. “But through the county officials – elected officials and other county officials – I think we’ll move forward to see what we can do to keep things in order.”
The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office has responded to 436 calls for service in the Gardens North area so far this year, Lee said during his monthly report to the Fremont County Commission this week.
That total represents an increase from 2024, when the FCSO responded to 357 calls for service in the neighborhood throughout the entire year, Lee said.
There were 256 calls for service to Gardens North in 2023, he said.
Other statistics
Lee’s report to the Commission also included statistics for the Fremont County Detention Center, where he said there were 162 inmates in custody this week.
Out of that total, 46 inmates – 34 men and 12 women – have already been sentenced, and 116 are awaiting adjudication, Lee said.
Fifty-four percent of the pre-adjudicated inmates came out of Riverton Circuit Court, Lee said, while 38 percent originated in District Court on felony-level charges, 7 percent came out of the Lander Circuit Court, and 1 percent are being held “for our municipalities here in Fremont County.”
Over the last 58 days, Lee said 470 inmates have been booked into the facility, including 223 from the RPD, 133 from the FCSO, 73 from the Lander Police Department, 31 from the Wyoming Highway Patrol, five from the U.S. Marshals Service, four from the Shoshoni Police Department, and one from the Dubois Police Department.
The FCSO responded to 2,143 emergency calls during the same timeframe, Lee said, and the Fremont County Dispatch Center fielded 3,350 calls, including 2,074 for law enforcement agencies, 1,036 for local ambulance crews, and 183 for area fire departments.
Fremont County Search and Rescue has responded to 17 missions since July 2025, Lee said – an increase from 13 during the same timeframe last year – and four of this year’s search and rescue missions involved fatalities.
For more information, call the FCSO at (307) 332-5611.