A recent Facebook post caught my attention, making a claim that sparked deeper investigation into Wyoming’s approach to suicide and mental health crises. The post suggested that “suicide is NOT a Crime” according to Wheatland Police Department and criticized law enforcement for not taking suicidal threats seriously. This statement, while perhaps well-intentioned, reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of both Wyoming law and the critical role law enforcement plays in suicide prevention.
Wyoming Statute 25-10-101 defines “dangerous to himself or others” as including when a person “evidences a substantial probability of physical harm to himself as manifested by evidence of recent threats of or attempts at suicide or serious bodily harm.” This statute, part of Wyoming’s mental health hospitalization laws, explicitly recognizes suicide threats as grounds for emergency intervention.
Under Wyoming Statute 25-10-109, law enforcement officers have the authority to detain individuals when they have “reasonable cause to believe a person is mentally ill” according to the criteria in 25-10-101. Once detained, “the officer shall contact an examiner” and “a preliminary examination of the person shall be conducted by an examiner within twenty-four (24) hours after the detention.”
The law is clear: suicide threats are taken seriously in Wyoming, and law enforcement has both the authority and responsibility to intervene when someone poses a danger to themselves.
The alarming reality of Wyoming’s suicide crisis
The statistics paint a sobering picture. Wyoming finished 2023 at the top of the list for its suicide rate, with one of the highest gun suicide rates in the nation. In 2021, Wyoming saw about 33 suicides per 100,000 individuals – more than double the nationwide rate of 13.5 suicides per 100,000 people.
While there was encouraging news in 2022, when Wyoming’s suicide rate dropped by 18-22% for the first time since 2018, the state still maintains one of the nation’s highest rates. In Wyoming, men are 5.5 times more likely to die by suicide than women, compared to the national average where men are four times more likely. More than 70% of Wyoming suicide deaths involved firearms.
Regarding Goshen County specifically, data from 2011 to 2020 shows that Goshen County was among only four counties in Wyoming with a suicide rate lower than 20 per 100,000, along with Albany, Teton, and Washakie counties. This suggests that while Goshen County performs better than the state average, the crisis still affects every corner of Wyoming.
The critical need for enhanced law enforcement training
The Facebook post’s criticism of law enforcement response highlights a crucial issue: the need for comprehensive crisis intervention training. Currently, Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training is available in Natrona County, where about 92% of Sheriff’s Department employees directly involved in operations have received the 40-hour training course. However, this training is not mandatory and appears limited in scope across the state.
According to the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, most police officers “receive little to no skills training in suicide prevention and intervention or in proper responses to mental health crisis situations,” despite being “significantly more likely to encounter individuals experiencing mental health crises than fire their gun in the line of duty.”
Lieutenant John Becker of the Natrona County Sheriff’s Office acknowledges, “We get very little training in mental illness,” noting that CIT training “makes it easier on the officers and on the individuals they’re working with.”
What needs to change
Wyoming has made some progress. The state legislature created a trust fund for 988, the nationwide mental health crisis hotline, to help back call centers and other services 24/7. Wyoming now has locally staffed suicide prevention hotlines in Casper and Greybull, operated by trained crisis counselors.
However, more must be done:
1. Mandatory Crisis Intervention Training: All law enforcement officers should receive comprehensive training in mental health crisis response and suicide prevention. The Wyoming Department of Health already offers various suicide prevention trainings including ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training), QPR (Question, Persuade, and Refer), and SafeTALK. These programs should be mandatory for all first responders.
2. Standardized Response Protocols: Current CIT training teaches officers “techniques on how to communicate with suicidal individuals to help descalate crises” and helps them “learn to make calls to someone’s family members to gather information about their mental illness.” These evidence-based approaches should be standardized statewide.
3. Community Education: Building “a layered network of safety for suicide prevention” requires community-wide education, starting “with open conversations in the home among family and friends” and extending to training for “anyone in the community likely to encounter someone contemplating suicide.”
4. Addressing Cultural Barriers: Wyoming’s “cowboy mentality of pick yourself up by your bootstraps and don’t talk about your mental health” and the attitude that “real men don’t cry” contribute to the high suicide rate. We must work to change these cultural attitudes while respecting Wyoming values.
Misplaced legislative priorities
While Wyoming grapples with having one of the nation’s highest suicide rates, it’s disheartening to see where some of our legislative energy is being focused. The 2025 legislative session saw numerous bills addressing issues that, while important to some constituencies, pale in comparison to the life-and-death crisis of suicide prevention.
Instead of comprehensively modernizing our outdated mental health statutes or mandating crisis intervention training for law enforcement, we see legislative attention diverted to culture war issues and partisan political measures. Meanwhile, Wyoming Statutes 25-10-101 and 25-10-109, written decades ago, remain largely unchanged despite advances in our understanding of mental health crisis intervention.
Our legislators should be asking: Why isn’t Crisis Intervention Team training mandatory statewide? Why don’t we have comprehensive mental health crisis response protocols in every county? Why haven’t we updated our mental health laws to reflect current best practices?
When people are dying by suicide at twice the national rate, our legislative priorities should reflect the urgency of this crisis. Every session that passes without meaningful action on suicide prevention represents missed opportunities to save Wyoming lives.
Contrary to the Facebook post’s implications, Wyoming law does recognize suicide threats as serious matters requiring intervention. The problem isn’t that law enforcement doesn’t take these threats seriously – it’s that they often lack the specialized training to respond most effectively.
As Casper Police Chief Keith McPheeters noted, his officers respond to suicide calls twice as often as they do for shoplifting. Given this reality, shouldn’t we ensure they have the best possible training for these encounters?
Wyoming’s suicide crisis demands a comprehensive response that includes better training for law enforcement, increased mental health resources, and community-wide efforts to reduce stigma around seeking help. Lives depend on getting this right.
How to seek help in Wyoming
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health crisis, help is available:
Immediate crisis support:
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline - Call or text 988 for 24/7 support from trained crisis counselors. For Spanish speakers, press 2 when calling or text “AYUDA” to 988.
Wyoming LifeLine - Greybull center operates 4 a.m. to 4 p.m., providing local Wyoming crisis support
Central Wyoming Counseling Center - Casper center operates 2 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Crisis Text Line - Text “TALK” to 741741 for 24/7 text-based crisis support
911 - For immediate emergencies when someone is in imminent danger
Mental health resources:
Wyoming Department of Health Mental Health Services - (health.wyo.gov/behavioralhealth) for treatment services and resources
LIV Health Urgent Care - Cheyenne’s mental health urgent care clinic has seen 171% increase in patients, offering same-day mental health support
211 - Call or text 211 for help finding community resources including mental health services, housing, and financial assistance
Training and education:
QPR Training - “Question, Persuade, and Refer” gatekeeper training available through Wyoming Department of Health
SafeTALK - Half-day suicide alertness training for anyone over 15
Mental Health First Aid - Community training programs available statewide
Remember: You don’t have to be suicidal to call for help. These resources are available for anyone struggling with stress, depression, relationship issues, financial troubles, or any life challenges. In Wyoming, we help each other—and seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness.
If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, available 24/7.
