WHP Commissions Class 101

Wyoming Highway Patrol commissions 101st class

Four new troopers commissioned in December

By WHP Safety and Training

WHP commissioned four cadets to the rank of troopers upon completion of their intensive training academy courses. During their academy, the new troopers were instructed in a variety of classes, including firearms, commercial carrier, physical training, RADAR/LIDAR, emergency vehicle operation, custody and control, crash investigation and other training.

Being a state trooper for the Wyoming Highway Patrol can be a challenging, yet rewarding career as it takes a special person to become a Wyoming State trooper. All troopers take an oath to protect and serve all citizens of this great state with courtesy, professionalism and integrity as Wyoming’s troopers represent the agency brand of “Guardians of the Cowboy State.” The new troopers participated in their swearing-in ceremony in front of family and friends at the Wyoming Supreme Court building. The ceremony marked the 101st graduating class of the Wyoming Highway Patrol Academy.

The following troopers are now working with a field training officer in areas throughout the state.

Trooper Jarred Bigg, Torrington

Bigg is a Torrington resident, having lived in the area for more than a decade. He worked for the Wyoming Department of Corrections at the Torrington facility beginning in 2013. At the time of his transfer to the Wyoming Highway Patrol, he was a corporal and instructor of firearms and first aid/CPR AED. Bigg is assigned to Division F serving Goshen and Platte Counties, and is excited to take a more active role in law enforcement. In his spare time, he enjoys training and competing in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, hiking, biking, shooting and any other outdoor pursuit.

Bigg

Trooper Shawncey Day, Casper

Day was born in Rochester, Minnesota. He is from a first responder family. Day was a police officer in Iowa from 2017-2021 and began working for the Wyoming Highway Patrol in August 2021. He is assigned to Division B in Casper and is excited to be a Guardian of the Cowboy State. In his free time, Day enjoys the outdoors and going on road-trips.

Day

Trooper Mark Kittelson, Cheyenne

Kittelson moved from Colorado to Cheyenne after he and his family fell in love with the Wyoming way of life.

He grew up in a military family and has lived all across the United States, from small towns to large cities. Kittleson, his wife and four children are extremely happy to settle down and call Cheyenne their home. His family loves living in the country where they can all spend their free time enjoying outdoor activities.

Kittleson

Trooper Brandon Todd, Cheyenne

Todd is a Wyoming native, born and raised in Cheyenne. He is in the Army National Guard and has served for three years. Todd was deployed with the Army National Guard from 2019 to 2020. Once returning from that deployment, he worked full-time with the Army National Guard and started working for the Wyoming Highway Patrol shortly after. He is assigned to Division A in Cheyenne and is excited and eager to serve and protect the great citizens in the state of Wyoming.

Todd

Trafficking continued from cover one of the most lucrative and destructive crimes globally.

Lucrative, indeed. It’s estimated that human trafficking is one of the largest criminal enterprises in the world, generating an estimated $32 billion a year.

“It’s a heinous crime, with millions of kids enslaved right now. So it’s up to us drivers to actually help combat this,” said Harold J. Doctor, Jr., a truck driver from Walmart who, like McCarty, is an America’s Road Team Captain working to spread the TAT message.

“Truck drivers are pretty much the first line of defense. We have a sixth sense as drivers, and when we think something doesn’t look right – I call it a DLR – we know how to react,” said Doctor. “When I’m out there on the road, if I see a young person that looks like they could be in distress I call it in to the TAT hotline. That might be somebody’s son or daughter out there that they want to see get back home.”

McCarty agrees. “There’s around three and a half million drivers in the trucking industry, and millions of others when you count dispatchers, dockworkers, technicians. So we can actually be the eyes and ears for law enforcement, because we’re everywhere in every city,” he said.

In addition to learning the warning signs, truckers who go through the TAT training receive decals to put on their truck indicating they are a safe zone for victims to reach out for help.

This year the CVSA launched an annual Human Trafficking Awareness Initiative on Jan. 11-13, as part of National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month which has been held every January since 2010.

Over the course of the three-day initiative, members of WHP were out at truck stops, rest areas, and the ports of entry to spread TAT brochures and other important trafficking information with commercial vehicle drivers.

“We want to bring more light and gain assistance from the public and commercial drivers to reduce human trafficking occurrences,” said WHP Commercial Carrier Lt. Dustin Ragon.

Since human trafficking is often a crime hidden in plain sight, it is vital to be aware of its warning signs. Some indications that a person may be a victim of human trafficking include (especially in the case of women and children): • Appearing malnourished; • Showing signs of physical injuries and abuse; • Avoiding eye contact, social interaction, and authority figures/law enforcement; • Seeming to adhere to scripted or rehearsed responses in social interaction; • Lacking official identification documents; • Appearing destitute/lacking personal possessions; • Working excessively long hours; • Living at a place of employment; • Checking into hotels/motels with older males and referring to those males as a boyfriend or “daddy,” which is often street slang for pimp; • Poor physical or dental health; • Tattoos/ branding on the neck or lower back; • Untreated sexually transmitted diseases; • Small children serving in a family restaurant; • Security measures that appear to keep people inside an establishment – barbed wire inside of a fence, bars covering the insides of windows; and/or • Not allowing people to go into public alone or speak for themselves.

If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-(888) 3737888 or 911. The hotline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week in more than 200 languages. All calls are confidential and answered live by highly trained anti-trafficking hotline advocates.

The public is advised not to approach any individual who appears suspicious. Rather, report as much information as possible to law enforcement, such as location, physical description, make and color of vehicle, license plate number, etc.

The bottom line? If you see something, say something. It just might save a life. n

Trooper involved in human trafficking rescue

By Mark Horan

On Jan. 19, while patrolling I-80 near Rawlins, Tpr. Andy Martinez observed a passenger vehicle speeding. The vehicle was occupied by two adult males and a teenage girl.

Upon making contact with the driver, Trooper Martinez immediately knew that something was not right. Martinez persevered with his questioning, and the female eventually told him she needed to get out of her current situation. It turned out she was a runaway who had met up with the men online, and one of the men was taking her to California for sex-trafficking purposes.

As arrest was made and the suspect has been charged with multiple felonies. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation are performing further investigation into this matter. The female victim was taken to a shelter to receive medical and other assistance and treatment.

The quick and diligent action taken by Trooper Martinez led to a successful trafficking recovery. He is commended for a job well done. n

Martinez