City of Gillette denies public records request, pension question after police chief's sudden retirement
GILLETTE — Gillette city officials are tight-lipped after Police Chief Chuck Deaton’s retirement.
After receiving tips from the community, the Gillette News Record filed a public records request on Feb. 25 for all human resource complaints within the city and Gillette Police Department since Jan. 1, 1997 and all internal employee misconduct documents about Deaton, as well as his calendar since Feb. 1, 2026.
City attorney Sean Brown denied human resource records concerning Deaton, citing a state statute that forbids public agencies from releasing employee personnel records in a letter responding to the records request — if the records exist, Brown specified in the letter.
City Administrator Mike Cole declined to answer questions about Deaton receiving a pension or a similar retirement payment plan paid to Deaton by taxpayers.
The statute that Brown cited for the request denial specified that personnel records such as performance ratings should only be available to the person concerned in the rating, according to WY 16-4-203(iii)(d).
The state of Wyoming and court precedent does not define what a personnel record is, Brown conceded in the response letter, but attached links to documents that provided “further guidance” about the definition of personnel records by the Wyoming Legislative Service Office and the Wyoming Department of Administration and Information.
Those documents discussed the Department of Administration and Information’s personnel records policy from 2009 that included all disciplinary actions and termination records in an employee’s personnel record.
Brown also provided a revised version of his response letter after the News Record told him that Wyoming Press Association attorney Chris Wages was consulted on the city’s response.
The revised letter added another reason to deny the request, citing another section in the Wyoming Public Records act that requires custodians of record to deny requests for “records or information compiled solely for purposes of investigating violations of, and enforcing, internal personnel rules or personnel policies.”
Punishment for custodians of record improperly dispensing records related to public records requests is a fine of $750 and possible civil lawsuits to assess damages, according to Wyoming laws.
There are also punishments for attorneys specifically breaching privacy that could impact the attorney’s law license, Brown said in an email.
Cole and Brown also provided a Cowboy State Daily column by former state speaker of the house Tom Lubnau about public agencies not commenting on terminating public employees.
Wyoming state law bans public employers from talking about government employees’ terminations, Lubnau argued in the April 2025 column.
“Even though a public employee may have been sexually harassing staff, mismanaging money, violating the law or creating an untenably hostile work environment,” Lubnau wrote about no specific instance of a public employee termination. “The public board, by law, must take abuse quietly while the employee’s supporters tout the virtues of the disciplined employee.”
Brown, however, did provide Deaton’s employee calendar for February, the month Deaton retired.
His calendar included weekly one-on-one meetings with now Interim Chief Brent Wasson and Capt. Kelly Alger.
Deaton retired after working at the police department for nearly 35 years, according to a press release from Gillette Director of Public Affairs Jennifer Toscana.
“I would like to thank past and present mayors, current and former members of the Gillette City Council and the City Administrator for allowing (me) the opportunity to work here and serve this great community,” Deaton said in the press release. “I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Gillette Police Department and will miss the many friends and colleagues I have made along the way.”
This story was published on March 7, 2026.