Wanted: One pint-sized substitute sheriff

On Saturday, one lucky child will be given the opportunity to become one of the most powerful figures in Carson City and all it will cost is $1.

The Carson City Sheriff's Department will be selecting the winner in its "Sheriff for a Day" contest during the Fourth annual Sheriff's Open House.

"They actually get sworn in, get their own little badge and get to make decisions, go to meetings and they can sit behind the sheriff's desk and answer his phone," said Lisa Davis, DARE officer and prevention coordinator.

The winner is selected by selling raffle tickets during the event with the winning ticket being drawn just before noon.

Davis said that an "Undersheriff for a Day" was added several years ago, when the winner asked if he could bring his brother along as a deputy.

"Since then, it has taken on a mind of it's own," Davis said.

The open house will include games and activities for children, as well as information for parents from the department and other local agencies. The event's overall goal is to help form good relationships between members of the department and the children of Carson City.

"We've had many kids that are afraid of the police because of experiences where the parents have been arrested or other things. This allows us to break that barrier and lets us make sure we are building those relationships," Davis said.

This year's event includes several groups which haven't participated in previous years, including C-Unity, a community and school pride group from Carson High School. Groups from CHS are sponsoring a pie-throwing contest, running a fishing game and a dunk tank.

"We have grown our teenage participation. They want to be involved and are going gung-ho this year," Davis said.

Grocery Outlet is providing free hot dogs that will be cooked by the Carson City Kiwanis Club. Information will be available on bicycle and gun safety as well as drug and gang prevention. Scrapbook covers are also being sold as a fundraiser for the DARE Program.

But Davis said the overriding mission of the event is much simpler than making people aware, it's about the children.

"The sheriff's goal is to have every child know at least one police officer by first name," Davis said. "It's all about the kids."

• Contact reporter Jarid Shipley at jshipley@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1217.

If you go

What: Sheriff's Office Open House

When: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday

Where: Carson City Courthouse parking lot, 901 East Musser St.

Call: Lisa Davis at 887-2020 ext. 1907