If it seems like we're seeing a little more crime in our area lately, that's because we are, according to Washoe County Sheriff Chuck Allen.
Allen said in an interview for Face the State that he's seeing a spike in a lot of violent crimes, like shootings. While he said Washoe County is still a very safe place overall, the increase in population is likely contributing to this increase in crime.
"Some of the people that we are dealing with are more violent," Allen said. "We see that a lot, even on some of our traffic stops."
The rising cost of living is also causing problems, since it's increasing the homeless population. Many homeless people end up in the county jail for minor offenses like loitering or public intoxication, even though Allen said that's not really the best place for them.
"I don't believe every person needs to go to jail for some of the things they're going to jail for," Allen said, "but there is no place to take them."
Allen said he thinks the best solution would be a separate facility to handle minor infractions like these, and get people the help they need, without booking them into the jail. He said additional shelter space would also be a help.
And as the area's population grows, these problems will likely get worse. Right now the county jail has about 1,170 inmates every day, up about 100 inmates from 2017. The facility has just under 1,300 beds total. While Allen isn't concerned yet about overcrowding, that could be a concern down the road. In the meantime, it's a struggle just to keep the jail adequately staffed. They have been running on high levels of overtime, quickly draining the allocated overtime budget.
Allen said the jail's staffing needs to change with the times.
"To put the numbers into perspective, today we are sitting at 214 allocated deputies in the jail, and that's 24/7, 365," Allen said, "and those numbers were at 241 ten years ago."
Allen has moved some positions to the jail to cut down slightly on overtime, but he said they're still projected to go over budget this year. He is asking the County Commission for a budget increase, but he said the county is calling the budget "guarded" at this point.
The full interview with Sheriff Chuck Allen airs on Face the State over the weekend. It airs Saturday at 4:30 a.m. and Sunday at 6:30 a.m. Episodes are also posted here after they air.
