During the open comments section of Tuesday’s meeting of the Albany County Board of Commissioners, a Laramie man presented a complaint stating that the Albany County Sheriff’s office violated the nepotism statute of Wyoming law.

Tim Hale of Laramie expressed his concerns during the meeting that the Albany County Sheriff’s office violated the nepotism rules by appointing Lt. Rob DeBree to the position of undersheriff. 

Hale claimed that by appointing DeBree to the position of undersheriff, Albany County Sheriff Dave O’Malley put DeBree over direct command and supervision of his son, deputy Joshua DeBree.

The statute Hale referred to makes it illegal for an individual to be in a position within state or local government where he or she will be directly supervised by a relative. 

State statute 9-13-104 states, “No public official, public member or public employee shall advocate or cause the employment, appointment, promotion, transfer or advancement of a family member to an office or position of the state, a county, municipality or a school district.”

Hale also said that he did not think this appointment spoke well of Sheriff O’Malley in his ability to instill confidence with the public, and that he thought the circumstances were clear that DeBree’s role as undersheriff is a clear violation of the statue.

O’Malley expressed skepticism about the complaint to the Laramie Boomerang, saying that DeBree is well qualified for the job, and that the appointment made sense as DeBree was a lieutenant under O’Malley’s predecessor Sheriff Jim Pond. 

“It’s something that has occurred over a period of years,” O’Malley said, “Rob DeBree’s been a supervisor there for many years. His son’s been there for over five years.”

O’Malley went on to explain that members of law enforcement and emergency management sector often come from families with long ties to the business, and that this kind of situation is anything but unique.

He also pointed out that his office could find a way to allow DeBree to take the job of undersheriff while at the same time not be in direct supervision of his son. 

“Historically, police and fire services are generational,” he said, “You try to get the best people you can. Oftentimes, the best people you can get are the sons or the daughters of the people who have already been in those kinds of professions.”

Whether or not the complaint is valid or not will be up to the Wyoming Attorney General’s office, which is currently taking the matter up for investigation, and will issue a decision when it has completed its review.

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