“Study” Targets Wyoming Cops

Once again a WALLET HUB story goes after Wyoming.

This time they are saying Wyoming is about the worst state to be a cop.

Wyoming is among the worst states to pursue a career in law enforcement, at least it is according to their report released Monday.

Personal-finance website WalletHub ranked Wyoming 12th worst in the nation on its list of "2022's Best & Worst States to Be a Police Officer."

As I have pointed out many times in the past, the people posting for Wallet Hub only look a few things up on the internet, no critical thinking is involved, and they never visit the places that they are writing about.

So, let's see what they failed to look at this time.

In order to determine the best and worst states to be a cop, WalletHub compared the 50 states and Washington, D.C. across three key dimensions -- Opportunity & Competition, Law Enforcement Training Requirements, and Job Hazards & Protections -- using 30 relevant metrics.

Would a Wyoming police officer train in the same way that a Washington DC or NYC cop trains? I bet they would not.

I guarantee that nobody from Wallet Hub has ever gone to any police training facility, anywhere in the nation, to see how and what they learn. So how can they make an assessment like this?

Remember all those riots in Wyoming towns where cops were attacked with rocks and Molotov cocktails? Me neither! Because it never happened in this state.

Many Wyoming police officers moved here from other states because it SUCKED TO BE A COP in those other states.

As for "JOB HAZARDS," those would be very different here in Wyoming than most other places.

Pay for Wyoming police officers fits our economy out here. Our officers are paid well compared to the cost of living and our low taxes. Wyoming doesn't even have a state income tax.

Police officers are more well respected in Wyoming that in many other places around the nation. No "defund the police" movement out there.

In fact, in Wyoming cops are often thanked for their service and even get the occasional lunch purchased for them when they visit local restaurants.

I'm not saying it's all fun and games out here. Cops have to deal with a lot of bad people.

But I bet the officers out in the small towns of Wyoming enjoy their jobs far more than the cop's many other parts of the nation.

Once again, Wallet Hub assumed a lot without ever bothering to come out here and ask one single Wyoming cop what they thought.

Jim, a retired officer from Cheyenne Wyoming sent this note to me after hearing of this story:

I am a retired Wyoming Peace Officer. Wallet hub is wrong. Myself and my fellow Troopers find the career to be rewarding and fulfilling. The majority retire with their agency after many years of service.

While we are at it, here is the story of a family of first responders in Wyoming who all love what they do.

Brothers, Casson and Leighton Burgen talked about their mother, Deanne Burgen, was their inspiration for becoming first responders.

They say being a first responder can run in the family.

Growing up with a mom who serves in law enforcement, brothers Casson and Leighton Burgen, saw every day the sacrifices their mom, Deanne Burgen, a current and long-time Deputy with the Natrona County Sheriff's Office, made to be a great first responder and mother.

“We always saw our mom as a very strong role model in our lives,” said Leighton Burgen, Firefighter/EMT with the Natrona County Fire District. “While we were younger, we never saw the negative side of the job which was a good thing. She always came home and made the best out of her time with us kids. As we got older, we started to understand more of what the job entails. I think it drove us all to want to do good in this community and to be able to find ways to help people, for the better.”

Take that Wallet Hub.