Sheriff's office unveils Web site

Everything you wanted to know about the Douglas County Sheriff's Office " and may have been afraid to ask " is now available 24/7 on the DCSO's new Web site.

The site " www.douglasconvsheriff.com " went up about a week ago, and so far as been popular, said Undersheriff Paul Howell.

"It's a public communications tool and a recruitment tool," Howell said.

The Web site, 14 months in the making, also will serve to get information out to residents quickly.

"With 40,000 residents, we can get a lot of information out quickly in case of emergencies and updates," Howell said.

He cited the devastating New Year's flood of 1997 as an example of how a centralized information site could have benefited the public.

"With the Web site we can coordinate with the public. It will really help us," Howell said.

The sheriff's office spent $10,000 from drug seizure funds and hired visionASP and MacWest Marketing to design the site.

"We wanted an outside company to set it up. If we'd have set it up, it would have been as cops look at it and we want this for the public. Everything you want to know about the Douglas County Sheriff's Office is on that site."

Howell's wife Lois donated hundreds of hours to set up links and other features to meet the DCSO's specifications.

Howell said the site's ability to attract potential recruits is beneficial.

"You're not getting phone calls anymore (from recruits) if you don't have a presence in the virtual realm," he said. "They're looking for jobs on the Web."

With a few clicks, interested people can find out job opportunities and apply on-line. The site links to Amber alerts, Douglas County human resources, Valley and Lake chambers of commerce, county demographics, The Record-Courier and the Tahoe Daily Tribune.

Photographs are scattered throughout the site offering a continuous slide show of the Valley's scenic features.

Visitors can access information about the sheriff's office divisions, get copies of forms, learn about crime prevention, Neighborhood Watch, and Secret Witness and get involved as volunteers.

Users also may register for sheriff's office e-mail alerts by submitting names and e-mail addresses.

Sgt. Jim Halsey, the department's public information officer, can directly post news and photos about crimes and wanted criminals.

Halsey also has the ability to update news releases.

He said that would have been useful when a former Oakland transit officer was arrested at Lake Tahoe in January after he was accused of fatally shooting a 22-year-old man on New Year's Eve.

When news broke of the suspect's arrest, Halsey and Howell said their e-mail boxes and voice mails were clogged with hundreds of messages from reporters all over the country seeking information.

"I can get good, fresh information online and it keeps the flood of phone calls down," Halsey said.

He can also post information about county regulations such as curfew when school's out, Carson Valley Days information, fireworks regulations and safety tips.

"It's not necessarily huge news, but it's still pertinent," Halsey said.

"The Web site is a great benefit," Howell said. "It makes us more accessible to the public and takes the mystery out of who we are and what we do."

Howell said the site will be monitored to see what features are the most popular and how it can be improved.

Sheriff Ron Pierini said he was proud of the site and credited Howell with taking the lead.

"We've wanted this Web site for the last 5 to 8 years," Pierini said. "Now it's possible to tell the public what services are available. For the size of our department, I think we're ahead of most."