Deputy receives security award

A Douglas County sheriff's deputy has received a regional award from an international security organization.

Deputy Rod Ginocchio received an excellence award for his expertise and technical skill installing mobile computer terminal equipment in patrol vehicles. He also was honored for training deputies in using the new equipment.

Ginocchio and Sheriff Ron Pierini attended the American Society for Industrial Security luncheon Nov. 5 in Reno.

The professional society for security management has had a Northern Nevada chapter for 25 years.

Ginocchio was one of eight officers in the Northern Nevada region who received an award for outstanding job performance.

Pierini said Ginocchio's work aided the sheriff's office in coming online with updated dispatch equipment.

"The MCTs will greatly improve incident response by enabling field deputies and supervisors to access mission-critical information without requirement of voice dispatch and without leaving their vehicles to access hard-wired computers to gather information," he said.

Pierini said the mobile computer terminals enable deputies to perform agency database searches, receive voiceless dispatch, communicate secure instant messaging, track registered sex offenders, felons or probationers within the community and monitor personnel through global positioning system mapping technology.

Implementation of the system cost $2 million. Of that, $530,000 was raised through criminal asset forfeiture. The rest was donated from residents through the Douglas County Sheriff's Advisory Council.