NEWS RELEASE: Cheyenne Police Department
CHEYENNE,Wyo.— The Cheyenne Police Department was slow responding to a call for service on the night of November 4th.
Police were dispatched to a suspicious circumstance in the area of the 2000 blk of E 16th Street where an adult male was reported to have tried to enter a vehicle which was occupied by an unattended 7-year-old male.
The reporting person stated she briefly left her 7-year-old son in her locked vehicle in front of her home. The mother of the child heard her car alarm go off and went outside. She observed a male, approximately 5 feet 9 inches tall, running from the location. Her son told her that a man had tried to open the car door.
The Cheyenne Police officer that was assigned the call responded to a location a few blocks from the house. The officer observed a suspicious vehicle in the area that was driven by a male that possibly matched the suspect description. The officer stopped the vehicle and determined the driver was under the influence. The driver was then arrested for driving under the influence. The police department erred by not assigning another officer to make contact with the mother. Officers did not respond to the location of the call to continue the investigation until hours after the initial report.
Police Chief Kozak met with the mother of the child and apologized for the department's response time. The Cheyenne Police Department is addressing the mistake that was made and is working to ensure citizens will receive quality service in the future.
Cheyenne Police officers have responded to over 62,000 calls for service this year with an average response time of 4 minutes, 13 seconds.
