Speculations poured into the Niobrara Sheriff’s Facebook page. Participants in the Facebook game “Find the Deputy Friday” were trying to determine which rural road a local sheriff’s deputy had just driven on, based on a photo she shared.

The Boner Road? Hat Creek Road? Kirtley? Silent Hill?

The fog had obscured every landmark and fooled even the oldest residents of Niobrara County. A clue has been thrown. The road was 10 miles from Lusk. Other guesses poured in. Silver Springs? Petz’s road? Indian Creek Road?

Finally, Deputy Ashley Clark posted: “It was on Gravel Pit Road. »

You could almost hear the collective groan as people on social media admitted they were perplexed.

Niobrara County is the least populated county in the state of Wyoming with a population of 2,480. Nicknamed the “Crossroads of the West,” it is located in the High Plains, where residents rely primarily on agriculture with ranches stretching for miles around. Despite its small population, Niobrara County faces unique issues since it is also a major travel route for those traveling from Denver to the Black Hills of the Dakotas.

The Niobrara County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Division has three full-time deputies who, along with the sheriff and undersheriff, patrol seven days a week to protect the towns of Lusk, Manville, Van Tassell and Lance Creek. . They work closely with the Wyoming Highway Patrol, Lusk Municipal Police Department and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.

Find the deputy Friday

It was Sheriff-elect Randy Starkey’s idea to highlight his rural county on Facebook with posts he dubbed “Find the Deputy Friday.” The plan was for his two patrol deputies, Deputy Clark and Deputy Daniel Applegarth, to post photos on their “Niobrara Sheriff” Facebook page without naming the road. It would be up to residents to see how well they know their hometown.

“It takes about a minute or two,” Deputy Clark said. “We usually have an idea of ​​where we want to go and we try to lay out each county road. Sometimes it depends on where we are called. We’ll finish a call and if we have time, we’ll run to an area and take a photo.

The challenge for MPs is to find an area that is not too familiar but is still guessable for those who know the area.

“Sometimes we’ll have a landmark in the background, which makes it easier than other times,” Clark said. “For example, our photo (of October 18) was in the fog. It took several guesses to get it, but the photo before, they guessed right away.

Humanize the badge

The messages serve several purposes, including increasing public interaction and showcasing the beauty of Niobrara County.

“We’re just trying to humanize the badge. We want them to realize that we are people and we are part of the community,” Clark said. “We want them to feel safe, to talk to us, to tell us things and to report crimes that are happening so we can investigate them thoroughly.” »

The reaction has been favorable and Clark enjoys reading the comments.

“We occasionally get jokes from people making comments about finding donuts and such,” she said. “We all love the feedback and have all had positive feedback so far. We would like to keep it that way.

Comments that made Clark smile included a guess that the deputy’s truck was “Out of gas, in the lonely prairie” and “Wake up!” We caught you taking a nap. Did you think we wouldn’t find you?

“We have quite a few,” Clark said. “We laugh and move on.”

Showcasing the vastness of Niobrara County

“We cover about 2,600 square miles in the county,” Clark said. “We like to show off the beauty of our county while showing some the difficult terrain we have to navigate to respond. I don’t think some residents understand that it can take a while to get there, due to the distance we have to travel, the terrain and the elements in the winter.

In a rural county, the sheriff’s office faces problems that residents of big cities and metropolitan police departments wouldn’t expect.

“Our primary role is to solve livestock problems for ranchers,” Clark said. “We deal with a lot of assistance for motorists. We just want everyone to be safe when traveling through our county.

Arguments are another problem law enforcement faces in rural Wyoming.

“We do everything from brand compliance checks to making sure cattle are off the highways,” she said. “Unfortunately, we also receive reports of livestock thefts or disappearances, and we do our best to investigate these cases. »

Clark also encourages residents and those who drive through the area to join their Facebook page, as the platform provides a good way to communicate with the public about road closures and accidents. Their goal is to keep people informed and safe in Niobrara County.

Recruitment tool

The Facebook page serves another purpose, Clark admitted. The Niobrara Sheriff’s Office is actively recruiting new deputies. She said they want people who want to live in the country and enjoy the outdoors.

“We are short-staffed and looking for candidates. We are always accepting applications from qualified individuals,” Clark said. “It’s a calm and safe environment.”

The Facebook page and weekly posts gave Clark and Applegarth an opportunity to connect with their community. Clark especially enjoys showcasing the county and the beauty that surrounds it. She also likes having a smaller population so she can get to know Niobrara County residents more by name.

“We love dealing with our audience and we get to know them on a deeper individual level,” Clark said. “We like that we are safe here.”

Contact Jackie Dorothy at [email protected]

Jackie Dorothy can be reached at [email protected].