By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
- Carbon County, Wyo. — Sheriff Alex Bakken will run the Bighorn Trail 100 (June 19–21, 2026) to raise money for emergency communications upgrades for the sheriff’s office and the county’s east/west Search & Rescue teams. Police1
- What funds buy: Handheld radios, dispatch/console upgrades, and Starlink satellite antennas to improve coverage in remote terrain. 100% of donations split between the agencies. Police1
- Why now: Rising equipment costs and reduced county revenue tied to property-tax changes; the office lost two positions last year and faces potential further cuts. Police1
- How to help: Donations accepted via Carbon County Sheriff’s Office, both SAR teams, or the campaign’s GoFundMe; volunteers can sign up to pace/crew during the race. Police1
RAWLINS, Wyo. — Confronting budget pressure and spotty coverage across vast backcountry, Carbon County Sheriff Alex Bakken is turning to endurance fundraising: he’ll attempt the Bighorn Trail 100 next summer to generate donations for mission-critical communications gear for deputies and volunteer search-and-rescue teams. Police1
Bakken’s goal is straightforward—upgrade radios, dispatch consoles, and add Starlink satellite capability—so responders can coordinate across canyons, plains and mountain corridors where conventional networks falter. The sheriff said every dollar raised will be split between the sheriff’s office and the county’s east and west SAR teams to bolster on-scene and backhaul comms without raiding general funds. Police1
The push comes as equipment costs climb and county revenue shrinks under recent state tax changes. Bakken noted the agency eliminated two positions last year and could face further reductions, making philanthropy and public awareness part of the survival kit for rural emergency services. “Instead of simply accepting this reality, I am willing to run a really, really long way,” he wrote in a community update announcing the effort. Police1
While he has finished a marathon, this will be his first 100-mile attempt—a personal stretch he hopes will highlight how state policy and local budgets ripple down to frontline readiness. The campaign accepts donations directly to agency accounts or via GoFundMe, and it invites local runners to help as pacers or crew over the mountainous course. Police1