New Sheriff Hires

 

     CSO Brian LEAP will be mainly working two ten hour shifts a week with his area being county wide, from Alleghany to Verdi; primarily assigned to animal services.   He can also fill-in as needed with calls that do not require a deputy sheriff, such as cold police reports, parking control and whatever else that may help the public as a community services officer.   Both have been instructed that public relations are a big part of ther duties and of my expectations.   Regarding the animal services, it has been a while since there has been active enforecement and I have instructed CSO LEAP to start off with warnings whenever appropriate and advising him that the main goal is public education and awarness of their pet responsibilities and the safe return of their pet if picked-up.   This warning stage shall be a grace period while pet owners get re-adjusted to having the position around.   If your dog is picked-up as a stray, so long as we can identify and get a hold of you to come get them within 24 hours, we will hold them in Loyalton or Downieville at our new temporary mini-kenneling locations which the Town of Truckee provided us for free.   If you cannot be located or identified we will have to take your dog to the Town of Truckee Animal Shelter for holding.   Once that happens, the owner will have to reimburse the sheriff's office for the related costs from the Town of Truckee and a small applicable fee for a spay and neutering program.   The cost will be $185 and you may, and probably will, receive a citation for the county code violation if we have to go to that much effort because your dog was loose and you did not have any identification (name/owner contact tag, county license tag and rabies tag) on their colar.   We also are willing to waive a citation on animals that have been given a sub-dermal identification chip that we can scan to locate you in an effort to promote people to get them.   Any veterniarian can tell you how to get them and the rabies vaccine.   The county license requires a current rabies vaccination and is done through the Health Department in Loyalton at (530) 993-6700.   The cost of the license is cheap and the process is very quick and easy and it is required by law.

 

     We also have two other part-time new hires, one Reserve Deputy Sheriff, named Lex EGBERT, who is assigned to regular patrol functions and living currently in Sierra City and the other is Corrections-Communications Officer Nathan RUST who is working dispatch, the front public desk, records and the jail.   Deputy Sheriff Lex EGBERT comes to us with previous experience from the Sacramento area and Corrections-Communications Officer Nathan RUST grew-up in Downieville and now lives there again and has previous experience from the Woodland area.  

     We have three other part-time/seasonal officers in the hiring process.   A second marine patrol reserve deputy sheriff, a USFS campground patrol deputy sheriff and a communications-corrections officer.   We hope that we will be able to make two or more of our part-time employees full-time in the next several months, depending on budget allowances and available full-time position openings.   Curretly we have three full-time positions in limbo/on hold and two more immedaitely pending.   These employees have all gone through an extensive hiring process and background investigation and are all well trained and with varrying levels of experinece already.   I have given them each instructions on my philosiphies on public service and relations as well as on my expectations of them.   I have received nothing but compliments on the professionalism, demeanor and freindly personalities of each of them.   Please welcome each of these new employees to our communities and feel free to introduce yourself to them.   Their presence should bring greater service and quicker response times for all of us.

 

     Also above, is a picture of California Highway Patrol Lieutenant Paul DAVIS who is the Quincy Area Office Commander and I in front of our Sierra Valley Substation in Loyalton on Tuesday April 13th.   His command area now includes all of the Sierra Valley down to the Little Truckee Summit on SR-89, SR-49 up to the Yuba Pass and all of eastern Plumas County and parts of Lassen County on SR-70 and US 395.   I find Commander DAVIS to be extremly public service oriented, personable and approachable.   He is also one of the most professional peace officers I have ever met.   He generally works at his main office in Quincy, but he also works out of his resident post office in the City of Portola on SR-70 at the east end of town.   Commander DAVIS invites comments, concerns and suggestions from the public regarding the work of his officers and their responsibilities for traffic safety and the smooth flow of traffic.   He says anyone can call for him at his office at (530) 283-1100 if you want to speak with him.   The picture above was taken when Commander DAVIS made a call on me (Sheriff John EVANS) to see if I had any comments for him regarding the operations of his officers.   Commander DAVIS was kind enough to make an in-person visit just to check-in and see how the new area command and personnel change was going.   I passed-on comments I have been getting from our local residents, almost all very positive, and mentioned the areas that the public has been requesting greater traffic patrols; mainly on Smithneck Road and County Road A-24 (Beckwith Street) comming into the City of Loyalton by the schools.  Also for excessive speeders in the area of Sierraville, especially near the intersection of SR-89 and SR-49.   I thanked him for the greatly increased access to back-up for my deputies and the reduced response times to the public for emergency calls from his officers.    His officers have backed me up personally several times already and have been extremely effective in several high priority arrests, including an intoxicated hit-and-run driver in Loyalton and major burglary and vandalism case in Long Valley off US 395.   Commander DAVIS has followed through with his promise to make Sierra County traffic flow, traffic safety and general service to the public as part of the change of his area of command to expand to the entire Sierra Valley.   He also wants to remind us all that there are no exceptions to drinking and driving, so please make a responsible decision before you drink and drive.   It is the philosiphy of this office to turn such traffic stops over to the C.H.P. to handle.   This frees our deputy sheriff's up to handle the general law enforcement calls and services and allows for the C.H.P. to fulfill their mandate which is traffic safety and traffic investigations for the public.