Wyoming sheriff creates billboard ad in Denver to recruit cops as Democrat city slashes police budget: 'Come to our state where breaking the law is still illegal and cops are still funded'

A Wyoming sheriff has launched a recruitment drive outside of his own state in Denver after their city's mayor slashed their police budget to fund migrant support. 

Laramie County Sheriff Brian Kozak touted the Cowboy State's law and order as a reason frustrated Colorado cops may look to move north. 

'Work in Wyoming where breaking the law is STILL ILLEGAL,' the billboard read, with a group of smiling sheriff's deputies alongside. '(And) cops are funded!' 

It comes as Denver Mayor Mike Johnstone announced in April that he was cutting $45 million from city agency budgets to deal with an influx of over 40,000 migrants, with $8.4 million being siphoned from the police department's coffers. 

A Wyoming sheriff targeted his recruitment drive at Denver police officers after their budget was slashed to fund migrant support, noting that in the Cowboy State, 'breaking the law is still illegal and cops are funded!' 

Laramie County Sheriff Brian Kozak said he had high hopes for the billboard campaign, because 'communities do support law enforcement - there’s no doubt about that' 

In total, it was reported that Johnston faces a staggering $180 million bill to effectively shelter migrants through 2024, as he pledged to respond to what he branded a 'newcomer crisis.' 

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For the Denver Police Department to plug their new $8.4 million budget gap, the force will need to stop hiring any new recruits. The fire department will also be cut by $2.5 million. 

While the city grapples with tens of thousands of migrant arrivals, city leaders have also recently faced off with the migrants as they refuse to move from an illegal encampment, and say they won't do so until 13 demands are met.  

In an attempt to capitalize on the moment, Kozak launched a billboard campaign to attract Denver police officers, and said that he believed they would have a warmer reception in Wyoming. 

'We do enforce the rules and the law, and I want people to know about Wyoming — that’s our culture here,' he told the Cowboy State Daily. 

'And statewide, communities do support law enforcement. There’s no doubt about that.' 

Denver's migrant crisis has seen city officials face off with an illegal encampment that have pledged not to move until demands are met. The city has seen an influx of a staggering 40,000-plus migrants  

Kozak added that his department is also targeting the Denver area with digital advertising, and he received a large discount on the cost of the billboard because the proprietor was not a fan of Colorado's police cuts. 

Although it advertises Wyoming as a whole, the promotion includes a web address for Kozak's Laramie County Sheriff's Office website. 

He said that before he even launched the billboards, a Vail-area officer transferred to Cheyenne, Wyoming last year because of the state's lack of hostility towards cops. 

This was also true for Kozak's Chief Deputy Aaron Veldheer, who told the Cowboy State Daily that he moved from Eagle County, Colorado because of anti-cop sentiment from Colorado lawmakers. 

'And I worked for a great agency in Colorado. I’ve got no complaints about them,' he said. 

'Just the General Assembly (Colorado Legislature) makes it so the cops are the bad guys.' 

Kozak's Chief Deputy Aaron Veldheer (right, pictured together) noted that he moved from Eagle County, Colorado because of anti-cop sentiment from Colorado lawmakers 

Locals in Denver react to the new billboard 

Although the budget cuts in Denver have been triggered by the migrant crisis, Kozak also reportedly cited another recent decision in the city that could drive officers away. 

On May 1, Denver lawmakers approved new legislation banning officers from pulling over drivers for low-level traffic violations, believing the stops do little to reduce crime rates. 

However, Kozak argued this was not the case, and reportedly pointed out that Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh was captured after being pulled over for not having a registration tag on his vehicle. 

He added that Wyoming police are also still under qualified immunity, which protects cops from being sued if they didn't knowingly violate someone's rights, while Colorado got rid of the rule amid the 2020 BLM riots. 

Kozak said his department hired 72 people last year in an 'unheard of' recruitment drive, and this year has allocated $40,000 solely for recruitment, a move that he said would essentially pay for itself. 

'That’s less than half of what the salary is for one employee, versus my overtime budget last year was $1.3 million,' he said. 

'So, we’ve got to get aggressive on our recruiting efforts to save money and hire people, and eliminate that overtime budget.'