Lyon County Sheriff Al McNeil announced his bid for re-election on Monday. McNeil has served as Lyon County Sheriff since 2015.
“During the past three years we have made significant forward progress and I am proud of the many accomplishments of the agency,” said McNeil, a Marine veteran. “While still under economic hardships from the housing crash, we reallocated resources and built collaborative partnerships that brought mental health services into the jail to reduce recidivism, established a Mobile Outreach Safety Team helping citizens before they became involved in the criminal justice system, positioned three School Resource Officers to increase children school safety and changing the law enforcement-public relationships for future generations, and brought in 21st Century technologies to enhance delivery of services for all of our citizens.
“Our greatest accomplishment is the crime rate reduction that occurred in 2016 and held throughout 2017, which hasn’t been experienced in Lyon County since the 1990s. McNeil cited no single reason for the crime rate reduction, but said he believes it’s a combination of the three philosophical strategies implemented after assuming office, which included community-oriented policing, intelligence-led policing, and restorative justice practices.
McNeil said he maintains an open-door policy, and is strongly committed to public engagement aimed at identifying resolutions for issues. A member of Nevada’s Advisory Commission on the Administration of Justice, he also participates in regional cooperative efforts to reduce the impact of crisis precipitated by mental health and has participated in local service organizations including the Northern Nevada Veteran’s Coalition, Rotary International and American Legion.
His weekly social media postings provided a community educational platform and helped restore trust and confidence in law enforcement, McNeil said. “Truthful communication reduces community fear,” he said. “When law abiding citizens are armed with the truth, the criminal element cowers in the dark and looks elsewhere to commit its crimes, which in our case has been outside of Lyon County.”
“I am constantly mindful of tax dollars to fund public safety. As a fiscally restraint leader, I want to know the community’s return on investment before any dollar is spent.
McNeil said he believes the job isn’t done and wants to build upon transforming and progressing Lyon County law enforcement well into the 21st century. “Among my top priority is developing strategies to change behaviors aimed at aggressive and assaultive behaviors, which leads to domestic violence and bullying. Much of the aggressive behavior starts in the home and bleeds over into our playgrounds and beyond. If we want to be the most desirable county in the nation to live in, we must put an end to this type of behavior.”
For more information on McNeil’s platform, visit him on his social media page.