Friday, February 20, 2026 |
Photo – Wyoming State Parks logo – Courtesy Wyoming State Parks, Historic Sites, and Trails Department
Carbon County officials are prepared to sign an agreement to allow State Park Rangers to perform regular law enforcement duties on county land.
Last year, Governor Mark Gordon signed Senate File 4 into law. Among other provisions, the measure expands the authority of park rangers.
Speaking during the February 17th Board of Carbon County Commissioners meeting, Sheriff Alex Bakken announced that following the passage of Senate File 4, other counties have signed memorandums of understanding with the Wyoming State Parks, Historic Sites, and Trails Department to allow rangers to perform regular law enforcement duties off state parks land. Sheriff Bakken said he would like to have a similar agreement with the Seminoe State Park ranger.
Sheriff Bakken explained that the memorandum of understanding will allow the Seminoe park ranger to respond to illegal activity outside the state park. The sheriff said the ranger cannot exercise authority beyond what is described as normal law enforcement duties.
Due to the size of Carbon County and the limited number of deputies, the sheriff said the agreement will benefit the county. Sheriff Baken added that state park rangers receive the same level of training as other law enforcement officers.
As written, Sheriff Bakken said the MOU is similar to his agreement with the Albany County Sheriff’s Office, which allows deputies to operate outside their county borders.
Commissioner John Espy asked if the agreement would be with the current Seminoe park ranger or the State Parks, Historic Sites, and Trails Department. Sheriff Bakken responded that the MOU would be with the entire state agency. Commissioner Espy suggested adding a way for the county to withdraw from the agreement if a new, perhaps unqualified, ranger is assigned to Seminoe.
The Board agreed the arrangement would be beneficial, especially during the summer when Seminoe sees higher visitor numbers, and instructed County Attorney Ashley Davis to review the memorandum of understanding and prepare a copy to be signed at a future meeting.
