State Homeland Security Program - 2025 Project FAQs
What is this grant?
The Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) is a federal program designed to enhance the ability of state, local, tribal and territorial governments to prevent, prepare for, protect against and respond to potential terrorist acts and other hazards. The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office has applied for and received funding from this grant program for many years which has enhanced our capabilities to identify, address and respond to various threats throughout our community.
Are there other grants like this?
The federal government also disburses money from a similar grant program, the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI). Currently, there are population restrictions on the UASI grant application and, in Nevada, Clark County is the only county eligible to apply for these funds.
Why did you apply for the Homeland Security Grant Program?
The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office applies annually for funding through the Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP). These funds have historically supported regional teams, specialized units, critical safety equipment, and advanced training — all aimed at enhancing the capabilities of the WCSO and our regional partners to protect and secure our community.
What changed this year?
This year, the federal government introduced a new requirement for all states seeking Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) and Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) funding: at least 10% of each grant must be dedicated to border protection and security. Failure to meet this 10% requirement would result in the denial of all UASI funding. By aligning our application with this priority, we not only ensured compliance but also positioned our region to leverage these resources in ways that strengthen both local safety and our role in national security.
What are you doing with HSGP funding this year?
The Sheriff’s Office submitted five requests for Homeland Security Grant Program funding this year. All five requests were approved and support the Regional Consolidated Bomb Squad, the Northern Nevada Regional Intelligence Center, mobile drone detection, the Citizens Emergency Response Team (CERT), and a remodel of the Detention Facility release corridor, as well as a dedicated, confidential interview room in the Detention Facility for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Why do you need a dedicated, confidential interview room in the Detention Facility for ICE?
The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office has partnered with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for more than 30 years. ICE has a work station in the Detention Facility, and has access to all publicly available information regarding inmates. Currently, when ICE wants to interview an inmate, interviews are conducted in a non-confidential space. The funding the Sheriff’s Office applied for would allow individuals ICE wishes to interview privacy and enhance the safety and security of everyone in the Detention Facility.
Why are you remodeling the release corridor?
The Detention Facility release corridor is small and can become congested during certain hours, particularly when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is releasing an individual. The $436,276.00 funding will allow the Sheriff’s Office to remodel the area and decrease the length of time it takes for all individuals to be released from the Detention Facility, from approximately 1 to 3 hours. This will also enhance the safety and security of staff, ICE inmates and all inmates being released from custody.
Are you expanding capacity for ICE detainees?
The Sheriff’s Office is not expanding capacity to hold ICE detainees with this or any other currently available funding.
Do you work with ICE in the Detention Facility? Do you have a 287(g) program?
The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office has partnered with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for more than 30 years. ICE has a work station in the Detention Facility, and has access to all publicly available information regarding inmates. The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office does not participate in the 287(g) program.
Has it been approved?
The state of Nevada Homeland Security Committee on Finance, the Nevada Resilience Advisory Committee and the Nevada Commission on Homeland Security has approved the Sheriff’s Office request for $436,276.00 in Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) funding.
What are the next steps?
The State will submit the grant, in its entirety, with all approved requests to United States Department of Homeland Security for approval. Once reviewed and approved by the federal government, the money will be sent to the state of Nevada. Once the funding is received by the state, the Sheriff’s Office will submit a request to the Washoe County Board of County Commissioners for final approval. If approved, the Sheriff’s Office would then receive the funding.
What is the Washoe County Sheriff's Office's partnership with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and how is ICE housed within the Washoe County Detention Facility?
The below details clarify and formally acknowledge the Washoe County Sheriff's Office's partnership with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which operates under the umbrella of the United States Marshals Service (USMS). ICE is one of several federal partners utilizing bed space within the Washoe County Detention Facility located at 911 E. Parr Boulevard.
Federal Partnership and Contractual Obligations
- Under our intergovernmental agreement, the federal government compensates Washoe County at a rate of $160 per inmate, per day for the housing of federal detainees, including those under ICE custody.
- These individuals are federal prisoners housed in our facility under contract with the U.S. government. Their housing is fully reimbursed by federal resources, not county taxpayers.
Compliance and Oversight
- Federal regulations, including those enforced by the U.S. Marshals Service and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), mandate annual audits of contracted detention facilities.
- These audits review compliance with federal standards for policy, procedure, medical care, cleanliness, food service, linen exchange, programming, and inmate services.
- WCSO also maintains compliance with Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) Chapter 211 (Local Correctional Institutions), which governs local jail operations, ensuring consistency with state requirements.
Custody and Due Process
- The Washoe County Sheriff's Office does not hold inmates solely on ICE detainers. Consistent with federal and state law, including 8 C.F.R. § 287.7 and NRS 248.125, we require a valid judicial warrant for detention.
- Inmates with local charges who also have ICE detainers are released within 48 hours of satisfying their local charges unless a valid federal warrant is produced.
- Once a federal warrant is executed and local custody is resolved, individuals are transferred into federal custody and are no longer forward-facing within the Washoe County system. At that point, they are legally and administratively classified as federal prisoners.
Transparency and Public Access
- Federal inmates being housed absent local charges, including those in transit or awaiting federal proceedings, are not forward-facing to the public. These individuals are held exclusively under federal authority.
- This distinction is critical in ensuring that the Sheriff's Office remains compliant with both constitutional requirements of due process and the federal contractual framework.
The Washoe County Sheriff's Office remains committed to transparency, compliance, and responsible stewardship of county and federal resources. Our partnership with ICE and the U.S. Marshals Service ensures that Washoe County maintains a secure detention facility while upholding both federal statutory obligations and Nevada Revised Statutes.