Sheriff Furlong seeks third term of office

Two-term Sheriff Ken Furlong announced Wednesday he intends to run for re-election.

"During the past two terms this administration and the department have pursued a path of developing strong public relationships and building trust through open, accessible practices," he said in a release. "While many milestones have been reached, I am eager to pursue more."

Furlong beat out three others for the seat in 2002. He was unopposed in 2006.

A 1975 graduate of Carson High, he spent much of his law enforcement career away from Carson City, working for more than 20 years as a special investigator for the U.S. Air Force.

When he retired from the Air Force he worked as major crimes detective sergeant for the Nevada Division of Investigation.

When Furlong took office as sheriff in 2003, he implemented some long-gone programs such as D.A.R.E. - Drug Abuse Resistance Education program for students - and created specialized units such as the Special Enforcement Team and the recently grant-funded Tri-County Gang Task Force made up of one officer each from Douglas, Carson and Lyon counties.

Furlong's tenure also has seen the creation of the now-popular Volunteer in Policing Program, and expansions of the reserve deputy and search and rescue officers.

He said that while previous administrations budgeted $40,000 for policing on Nevada Day, he has not spent a cent on overtime for events like Nevada Day because of the bolstered reserve ranks.

In the forefront of his mind is attacking gangs and drug use in the city, as well as working out the immigration problem made apparent by the number of illegal immigrants who end up in jail.

Federal funding to the city has tripled in the past five years, with Carson City being reimbursed more than $60,000 for the money spent to house illegal inmates.

Furlong said he sees those numbers as an indication that Carson, Douglas and Lyon counties would benefit from having a Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer stationed in the capital city.

"I'm not done yet," he said of his desire to retain the office. "I love this job. It's the greatest thing ever."

The primary election is in June with the general election in November.

Thus far, Furlong is unchallenged.