Wyoming law enforcement awarded $2.4 million for mental health calls

CHEYENNE — A $2.4 million grant was awarded to the state of Wyoming on Tuesday for the purpose of supporting mental health in law enforcement services across the state. The gift, awarded by the Helmsley Charitable Trust, will provide funding for police and sheriff departments to offer 24/7 virtual crisis care calls. 

This means that law enforcement officers who deem a situation to be a mental health emergency will virtually connect the person to a mental health professional.

“This pilot project will give law enforcement a tool while in the field to help get people experiencing a crisis a live connection with mental health professionals exactly when it’s needed,” said Gov. Mark Gordon.

A similar program has already been rolling out in parts of Wyoming, including in Green River and Sweetwater County. Green River Police Chief Shaun Sturlaugson detailed what things have looked like since his department began virtual crisis care in June.

He said it not only provided assistance for people in crisis but kept officers safer as well. Sturlaugson recounted one incident which was deemed too dangerous for officers to meet with an individual face-to-face, so they turned to the virtual crisis care.

The officers made contact with the individual by telephone and provided a referral to a health care professional.

“In the end, it was resolved peacefully. It was resolved in a way that left everybody feeling like something good had taken place and actually solved the problem,” he said.

John Grossnickle, the sheriff of Sweetwater County, said he is excited to expand the program in his county, the eighth-largest in the nation by area.

He said it can sometimes take hours for officers to respond to calls on the other side of the county, and this program may help ease that burden.

“Those moments are heavy, but someone’s life is on the line. We don’t get do overs. We have to get it right, and we have to get it right, right now,” he said. “Mental health calls aren’t rare anymore. They’re daily, and they don’t wait for office hours either. We’ve invested in crisis intervention.

“We train our deputies well, and they care deeply, but even the best trained deputy isn’t a clinician,” he added. “That’s where virtual crisis care has the potential to change everything.”

Walter Panzirer, a trustee of the Helmsley Charitable Trust, said this kind of program is designed to thrive in rural areas.

It has been deployed in two other states – Nevada and South Dakota –- where he said it has been a success, with more than 80% of encounters resulting in the person staying in place with plans for local follow-up care.

Additionally, Panzirer said law enforcement in South Dakota saw a 50% decrease in recall rates from the same household.

He said he knows this isn’t the one blanket solution for mental health issues in Wyoming, but just another helpful tool in the toolbox that he hopes to continue to fund in other states across the nation.

Kelsie Young, the clinical director for High Country Behavioral Health, shared this sentiment, saying there has been no tangible way for law enforcement to quickly and seamlessly access and connect people in crisis to mental health services in communities.

“This collaboration strengthens the safety net for our rural communities. It ensures that fewer people fall through the cracks, that help is available when it’s needed most, and that local providers like us can stay connected with our neighbors and walk alongside them in their journey, along with us,” she said.

This collaboration between law enforcement and behavioral health professionals in Wyoming has been a point of discussion for quite some time, as the burden for care of mentally ill inmates often falls to sheriff’s offices because the state psychiatric hospital is often full.

To be proactive, the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office opened the state’s first pod of jail cells focused on corrections for mentally ill inmates, who may need more mental care than behavioral corrections.

The office spent around $700,000 on opening the facility, and Laramie County Sheriff Brian Kozak said at the time of opening he hopes to seek reimbursement from the state for his office’s efforts to address mental health concerns.

On Tuesday, when the award was announced, Gordon said that issue is a separate conversation to be discussed by the Wyoming Legislature to decide what role the state should play in supporting mental health.

“I think it is important that the people of Wyoming let their legislators know how critical it is to be able to have these kinds of services,” he said.

He added that his hope is this kind of program will meet people earlier on in the process – before potential incarceration, ultimately saving taxpayer dollars.

Allen Thompson, executive director of the Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police, echoed this view.

“Over the long term, this investment on the front end, from the Helmsley Charitable Trust, will give us the opportunity to compile the data and look at the efforts and build out the infrastructure so that when we need ongoing funding in two-and- a-half years, we have a playbook for that,” he said.

This story was published on August 6, 2025.