Wyoming Tribune-Eagle
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — About a month into his stint as chief of police, Brian Kozak already is implementing changes to the department.
Kozak said he has been evaluating the department for the past several weeks and found the agency to be professional.
During a press conference Monday, the new chief detailed changes he would like to make within the department and those already under way.
One includes the formation of a leadership committee comprised of sworn officers and civilian staff at the department to improve communication lines with Kozak’s office.
Another change is the creation of a full-time public information office that also will handle community outreach.
There has been some restructuring within the department, as the retirement of Capt. Donald Simmer and a hiring freeze has left the agency with one captain, according to Kozak.
In August, the department will participate in National Night Out, a countrywide program that helps local police interact with their communities through a neighborhood drug and crime prevention event.
Such events typically include block parties, cookouts or exhibits at which residents can meet officers assigned to their neighborhood.
Mayor Rick Kaysen said Kozak spoke highly of his experience with National Night Out.
“It’s something we should try here in the city of Cheyenne,” Kaysen said.
The department will look at crash data around the city and adjust its traffic patrol accordingly, said Kozak, who will soon attend a national traffic safety conference in Washington, D.C., as an expert in the field.
Three officers will be sent to Denver for motorcycle training to be used specifically in traffic patrol.
Kozak said he hopes to get all officers trained in drug-recognition expert techniques within the next year.
“Beware: If you are impaired by drugs, you will be caught by the Cheyenne Police Department, and you will be arrested,” Kozak said.
A drug-recognition expert is able to determine if a person is under the influence of illegal narcotics through various objective signs.
Kozak is certified to train officers as drug-recognition experts. He said the department plans to certify another officer in drug-recognition expert training.
Kaysen said the program will make for better-trained officers.
Once officers are trained, they will be able to call one of the department’s certified drug-recognition experts to assist if they suspect someone is high on a drug like methamphetamine. The recognition expert can then determine through a test if that is the case or if, for example, the person has taken a prescribed narcotic.
“Hopefully this program will just grow,” Kozak said.
Copyright 2010 Wyoming Tribune-Eagle