Lyon County Sheriff Brad Pope, center, at the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce event on Feb. 15.
Two of Lyon County’s top public servants described how they’re improving public safety in the Dayton area with the help of voters.
On Wednesday, Lyon County Sheriff Brad Pope and Central Lyon County Fire Chief Rich Harvey spoke to the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce at Dayton Valley Golf Club.
“Feel free any time to hold us accountable that we’re doing what we said we were going to be doing,” said Harvey.
Harvey explained how voter passage in November of Question No. 1 — a 23-cent tax per $100 of assessed valuation for property owners in the fire district — will fund opening and staffing additional fire stations in Dayton and Silver Springs. Harvey hopes the tax will raise $2 million a year.
“Question 1 was really born of necessity,” he said.
That’s because the fire district is 650 square miles with 30,000 residents, Harvey said. The department started with volunteer firefighters, but two of seven stations became full-time due to demand. The remaining volunteer stations have struggled, Harvey said.
Harvey hopes adding 17 new firefighters and paramedics and opening more stations will cut the department’s average response time in half. Right now, the average response time is about 12 minutes, Harvey said.
“It’s really sad to get to a call late,” he said.
Pope also talked about restructuring. The sheriff’s office was lacking 17 positions when he took over, he said. The office has since hired seven people and is vetting half a dozen more. He emphasized providing employees with direction and a sense of mission.
“They are out here doing a great job,” he said.
The biggest complaint the sheriff’s office hears from Dayton residents is about incidents on Highway 50 and Dayton Valley Road, Pope said. He said his office is seeking federal grants administered through the Nevada Office of Traffic Safety to pay overtime costs specifically related to traffic control. He said the office is also using “saturation patrols” that involve saturating a given area with 12 deputies for a 12-hour shift.
“The next saturation patrol will be here in Dayton,” he said.
Though he wouldn’t tell audience members the date of the next saturation patrol, Pope was adamant residents in the Dayton area should see faster response times and better service. When an audience member asked about the biggest criminal issues in the area, Pope mentioned substance abuse, theft and domestic violence. He said crime is a generational problem. He pointed to his previous experience working narcotics and having to arrest a grandmother, mother and daughter from the same family.
“It’s a generational cycle that needs to be broken,” he said.
Pope added that as a football coach at Yerington High, he’s worked with youth to break down barriers. He hopes to grow a junior deputy program to get more youth engaged in law enforcement.
“We realize we’re human just like they are,” he said.
For information about the LCSO, visit https://www.lyon-county.org/17/Sheriff.
For information about Lyon County Central Fire, visit https://centrallyonfire.org/.