Police dept seeking officer

With Moorcroft Chief of Police Doug “Red” Lundborg retiring in May, for the last several months, the department has been seeking another officer to fill the void.

To date, there have only been two applicants and neither are current police officers. If one of these candidates is hired, the time necessary to train them will be approximately four months.

“I would have to train him and send him to the academy and it just makes it a hardship,” he says.

Lundborg assures town residents, though, “We’re not going to pick just anybody.” He also said that there are a lot of “hoops” they must go through before a final hire is accepted.

Of the two current applicants, the chief and Sergeant Bill Bryant have, in turn, interviewed one and Lundborg expressed his interest in pursuing this option for future hire.

With May quickly approaching and the possible need to train an officer from a civilian, Lundborg has recently run an ad throughout Wyoming’s more than 40 newspapers asking for more applicants.

The entire state is suffering for want of solid police officers and, while Moorcroft cannot pay as much as the larger cities in the state, says Lundborg, the town employs an excellent benefit package that may not show in the pay check, but is highly appreciated by Family men Bryant and officer Jory Tadlock, as they expressed to the council at a recent meeting.

The chief spoke candidly of being a cop: “It does have its challenges.” He also shared his thoughts on the reason for the difficulty in finding people willing to apply, saying, “I personally think that, for political reasons, in the last eight to ten years, law enforcement has been demonized, [but] it is a great career!”

Lundborg added, “We’re all in dire need of good, qualified candidates to fill positions throughout Wyoming.” If anyone is interested in a career involving camaraderie, advancement and making a difference, contact any of the fellows or Jesse at the office in Town Hall.