The Washoe County Sheriff's
Office is concerned with keeping the community informed about the
operation of the Sheriff's Office. One of the ways to accomplish
this is by regularly keeping the news media, and thereby the public,
informed of events involving the Sheriff's Office and its personnel.
The Public Information Officer (P.I.O.) coordinates this by acting
as a liaison between the Sheriff's Office and media representatives.
Duties include assisting reporters assigned to cover news stories
and providing them with general information at the scene of major
incidents. Our goal is to provide timely and factual information
to the community we serve.
The P.I.O.
is available 24 hours a day to respond to the scene of major incidents.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 14, 2010
WASHOE INMATES ALLOWED POST CARDS ONLY
WHEN: Beginning February 1, 2010
WHERE: The Washoe County Detention Facility
CONTACT: Deputy Brooke Keast, PIO
775-328-6370 Office, 775-771-8252 cell
www.washoesheriff.com
The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office is announcing a change in the Detention Facility mail procedure. Beginning February 01, 2010, with the exception of legal mail, inmates will be permitted to send and/or receive plain, white postcards only. The Sheriff’s Office is no longer allowing inmates’ personal mail to be received or sent in envelopes.
Every piece of mail that enters and leaves the Washoe County Jail is inspected for contraband, which currently requires a full time employee who handles between 150 and 200 pieces of mail daily. The Sheriff’s Office decided to make this change after considering the county’s ongoing budget crisis, manpower issues and the large amount of unauthorized mail received through the jail.
“We must focus our attention on ways to cut costs, and do so in a way that will have the least negative impact on our service to the residents of Washoe County,” stated Sheriff Mike Haley. “We have an obligation to allow inmates to communicate with family and friends on the outside, and they will still have the ability to do this in writing, but using postcards only.
Other agencies across the country have made similar changes in policy in an effort to respond to increased contraband hidden in inmate mail and to be fiscally responsible in these tough economic times.
