‘Things Have Definitely Calmed Down’: No-Trespass Signs Cut Calls at Gardens North

The original story by Katie Roenigk for County 10.

Calls for service in the Gardens North subdivision near Riverton have gone down in recent weeks, thanks in part to a coordinated push to crack down on problems at abandoned homes, Fremont County Sheriff Ryan Lee told county commissioners this week.

Over the last two months, Lee said county officials have worked with the owners of most of the abandoned properties in the neighborhood to set up no-trespassing agreements.

With those in place, deputies were able to post no-trespassing signs at vacant homes throughout Gardens North — a small step that carries a lot of legal weight.

Those signs now give law enforcement clear authority to cite or arrest anyone on those properties without permission.

And so far, it seems to be working.

“We haven’t had hardly any calls regarding those issues for quite some time,” Lee said.

Commission Chairman Larry Allen suggested it sounded like calls to the area had “dropped dramatically,” but Lee pumped the brakes on that description.

“I wouldn’t say it’s dropped dramatically,” he replied. “But it’s definitely lowered.”

Some of that drop, he added, is likely due to the change in season. From experience, Lee said, when the weather cools off, so do many types of calls — particularly in unincorporated areas around Riverton, including Gardens North.

Lee said he plans to bring more detailed call statistics for the neighborhood at his next report to the commission.

Lee’s update also included a broader snapshot of Fremont County’s public safety picture.

As of Monday, the Fremont County Detention Center was housing 119 inmates, which Lee described as “extremely low” and “easy to handle,” especially compared to past peaks of around 190 inmates.

Of the current population:

• 85 inmates are awaiting adjudication;
• 35 inmates have already been sentenced.

Among those still awaiting their day in court:

• 52% came out of District Court;
• 43% from Riverton Circuit Court;
• 3% from Lander Circuit Court;
• 2% from municipal courts.

Since Lee’s last report in October, 405 people have been booked into the jail. They came from:

• 193 arrests by the Riverton Police Department;
• 127 by the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office;
• 57 by the Lander Police Department;
• 20 by the Wyoming Highway Patrol;
• 5 by the US Marshals;
• 2 by the Shoshoni Police Department;
• 1 by the Dubois agency.

So far this year, the Sheriff’s Office has handled 6,695 calls for service.

From October through November alone, county dispatchers took 2,159 emergency calls, and sent out 3,350 calls for service, including:

• 1,934 to law enforcement;
• 1,068 to EMS;
• 244 to fire departments.

Fremont County Search and Rescue has also seen a bump in activity, completing 20 missions so far this year — up from 17 at this time last year.

Residents who want more information or need to contact the Sheriff’s Office can call (307) 332-5611.