Cathleen Allison/Nevada Appeal Joe Theile looks at furniture that was damaged at the Lionel Sawyer & Collins law office when a vehicle crashed into the front window Friday night.
The Carson City Sheriff's Department is asking business owners to update their contact information annually so officers can reach them in the event of an emergency.
On Saturday, a car crashed through the plate-glass window of a law office at Carson and Fifth streets. The accident happened at midnight and dispatchers were unable to locate someone connected to the business to respond and board up the window.
Officers were forced to leave the business open until employees arrived the next morning and discovered the mess.
Fortunately, the business didn't also fall victim to burglars.
Sheriff Kenny Furlong said the incident underscores the need for updated information.
"About 2,000 times a year, we need to contact businesses for emergencies or emergency notifications, and very often we struggle with finding the contacts for the business," he said.
"If people update their information, it would lead to quicker notification, and you would avoid the frustrations of finding your business has been wide open for an extended period of time," he added.
Furlong said people can send their information to lcadot@ci.carson-city.nv.us or visit the city's Web site www.carson-city.nv.us
In the case of the accident on Saturday, if officers had entered the building, they would have found business cards with cell phone numbers on them.
But in the middle of an incident, deputies don't always have time to enter the business, Furlong said. On Saturday, officers were in pursuit of the driver. He was arrested near Smith's.
No one was injured in the crash.
• Contact reporter F.T. Norton at ftnorton@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1213.
For your information
People can update their emergency contact information for businesses by e-mailing lcadot@ci.carson-city.nv.us or visiting the city's Web site www.carson-city.nv.us.