U.S. Sen. John Barrasso let the world know about slain Sheridan police officer Nevada Krinkee on Wednesday.
In honor of National Police Week, Barrasso gave a tribute to Krinkee on the floor of the U.S. Senate. He also used it as an opportunity to speak against efforts to defund police departments.
“Let me be clear, defunding the police has made our communities less safe,” Barrasso said. “For police officers, it has turned the badges on their sleeves into targets on their backs.”
Krinkee’s Story
Krinkee was killed in the line of duty at age 33 in February when attempting to serve a trespass notice. He left behind a wife and one daughter.
There was a mass outpouring of support for Krinkee when the news of his killing broke, an event Barrasso said “shook our state.”
On March 1, a funeral procession was held for Krinkee that traveled through downtown Sheridan. More than 1,000 police officers from across the West showed up and lined the streets of the town to show their respect.
“Many of them who were there to mourn his death and honor his family had never actually met Sergeant Krinkee,” Barrasso said.
Barrasso was in attendance at the event that drew such a large turnout that it had to be held at a local college auditorium. It was the largest event in Sheridan in 40 years, when Queen Elizabeth visited the town.
Krinkee was the first officer to die by homicide in the line of duty in Wyoming since 1998. He was the first officer to be killed in the line of duty in Wyoming since 2011 and first ever in the history of the Sheridan Police Department.
In 2023, more officers were killed in the line of duty than ever before, according to the Fraternal Order of Police. Overall homicides and aggravated assaults are also up since 2019.
Political Lesson
In the wake of the George Floyd murder in 2020, there was a mass uprising of anti-police sentiment across America, with many calls put out by leading politicians to defund local police departments.
Barrasso called this rhetoric “alarming,” and said it demoralizes and endangers officers.
Recently, the Laramie County Sheriff’s office put up a billboard in Denver attempting to recruit cops after that city diverted $8 million away from its police department. Denver’s mayor responded by saying the cut in the department’s budget was not “defunding” police.
Barrasso also stressed that police officers work demanding and dangerous jobs that they perform with what he sees as competence and compassion. He said not only are they under attack from criminals, but also “soft-on-crime politicians.”
“Politicians who support criminals rather than police and demonize and defund the police hold responsibility,” he said.
Contact Leo Wolfson at leo@cowboystatedaily.com
Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.
