‘REACH Sheridan’ reaches into local law enforcement
SHERIDAN (WNE) — REACH Sheridan, a local nonprofit dedicated to increasing autism awareness, partnered with the Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office to spread autism awareness.
REACH Sheridan Vice President Rhonda Rieker met with Sheridan County Sheriff Levi Dominguez and SCSO deputies Feb. 4 to discuss the partnership and hand out autism sensory bags.
As part of the partnership, SCSO deputies will carry sensory bags in their patrol vehicles to promote awareness and help support individuals with autism during encounters.
Autism sensory bags include things like headphones, fidget toys and other comfort items that promote a sense of control and familiarity for the individual.
Rieker expressed her gratitude for the partnership and discussed the need for autism awareness in Sheridan. Her desire to spread awareness and promote REACH Sheridan began with someone dear to her heart.
“I'm really passionate about it because of my grandson….he’s not missing out on anything because of his diagnosis and I do believe that they can teach us a lot as well. We need to get the word out and make (autistic people) comfortable in our community,” Rieker said.
REACH (Resource, Education, Autism, Community, Harmony) is an organization committed to providing resources and education to individuals on the autism spectrum or those who are neurodivergent, their families and the Wyoming community to promote inclusion and understanding.
“(REACH) asked, ‘What can we do for you?’” said Dominguez, “and we said, ‘What would be really great is being able to have some sort of sensory bags within our patrol vehicle so if we were ever have an interaction with individuals within the community that we recognize are autistic, we have the ability to help connect with them in a way that is a positive interaction with law enforcement and those individuals.”
The next step, Dominguez said, is expanding training and awareness for deputies and local law enforcement so they can better recognize and interact positively with individuals with autism.
This story was published on Feb. 7, 2026.