CASPER, Wyo. — Casper Police Department officials shared statistics and tips with city residents at a Wednesday evening town hall, the first of three scheduled over the coming days.
The department divides the city into six geographic areas for patrol, and Wednesday’s meeting focused primarily on the wide-spanning Area 5, which extends west roughly to the CY Avenue Walmart; north to around the Fort Caspar Museum; east to the area of Nicklaus Drive and 29th Street; and south along Casper Mountain Road to the area of 59th, Oak and Spruce streets. The town hall also discussed Area 6, a much smaller zone located to the west of Area 5.
When reviewing the boundaries of the area, Lieutenant Jeff Bullard identified three “hot spots” that he said see increased rates of calls. One encompasses the row of businesses along CY Avenue near the Walmart. Another is to the north of CY Avenue, covering Bellaire Drive, Desmet Drive, 13th Street and more near the Fort Caspar Museum. The third lies in the southeast corner of the zone, including Coffman Avenue, parts of Poplar Street and Boulder Drive.
Community member McKenzie Hoag, who was in attendance, said that she lives in the hot spot surrounding Fort Caspar and that she’s seen an increase in suspicious and criminal activity in recent years. Hoag said she’s witnessed attempted car break-ins, people rummaging through neighbors’ trash and more.
“It’s gotten rough,” she said. “I think one of our biggest concerns is how to combat that. We don’t have a problem saying ‘What are you doing’ anymore.”
Bullard said the types of crime vary between hot spots. For example, most of the reports along CY Avenue are for shoplifting and other burglaries. Meanwhile, in the southeastern hot spot, he said some of the most common crimes reported include domestic conflicts and substance abuse.
Overall, traffic offenses are by far the most common offense in Area 5. According to 2025 data through Oct. 27, there had been 617 traffic offenses in the area. After that, the next most common crime was drugs and narcotics, of which there were 50. The area saw 47 cases of vandalism and destruction of property,
Bullard also made particular note of Walmart. Through Oct. 27, 2025, the superstore accounted for more than 64% of all shoplifting cases in Area 5.
“We spend a lot of time with shoplifters at Walmart, and it soaks up a lot of our resources and a lot of our time,” he said. “This is something that we can say, as a department and a community, ‘We don’t like this. How are we going to respond to it?’”
Another common crime Bullard called specific attention to was fraud. While the most recent data show that most crimes in Area 5 are down in 2025 from the same point in 2024, he said that scams are on the rise, particularly targeting older populations.
“We’ve got people in our community getting ripped off for $100,000 or more in some cases,” Bullard said, adding that the biggest fraud case he’s seen was the theft of $250,000.
The lieutenant said a particular concern for him is automobile burglaries, particularly when they include the theft of a firearm. He shared an anecdote where a gun that was stolen from a Casper resident’s car was used in a homicide that same day.
“I carry that scar with me,” he said. “In my opinion … if one gun gets stolen out of a vehicle in an entire year, that’s one gun too many.”
Bullard said the best way for residential communities to help stop crime is to have close, strong bonds with neighbors.
“I do know that as we’ve progressed in the digital age, those kind of neighborly relations have dissolved over time,” he said. “That’s something we can come together as a community and start reestablishing.”
Some attendees made recommendations referencing Bullard’s comments about fraud, and suggested the PD do more outreach for awareness on how to identify a scam. Casper resident Tim Schenk also asked for more patrols in some high-crime parts of town.
“You never see [patrol] activity up and down the road,” he said of his neighborhood.
At the meeting’s close, Bullard sought volunteers to help the department find ways to improve. He said another series of town halls will be held in April to discuss findings and next steps.
There are two more town halls scheduled, one for Thursday at 6 p.m. and the other for Friday at the same time. Both will be hosted at the Ford Wyoming Center.
