Deputies Escort Exploration Crews

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Sheriff's deputies are accompanying geophysical crews while they explore for oil beneath two residential subdivisions east of Cheyenne.

The Laramie County Sheriff's Office says the deputies are going along to prevent any misunderstandings between the crews and homeowners.

Wyoming law allows geophysical crews to access private property to explore for oil and gas with or without the landowner's permission.

Sheriff's spokesman Gerry Luce says the oil exploration began this week. He says deputies are accompanying crews in the Durham Estates and Triple Crown Estates subdivisions about seven miles from the Cheyenne city limits.

He says there have been no conflicts so far.

The crews use special trucks to shake the ground. The crews record echoes from the vibrations to create images of the underlying geology.