Sheriff’s lieutenant details drone use, arrest and jail contingency plans

Lieutenant Nick Tone of the Washoe County Sheriff's Office briefed the board on law-enforcement actions during the fire response and the office’s use of drones for targeted incidents.

Tone said drones are launched to specific calls (not for routine patrol) to identify illegal shooting and high-risk activity and to provide information quickly to partners so fire resources can be dispatched where needed. He described a recent arrest for third-degree arson after a hillside near the jail was set on fire; that incident, he said, appears unrelated to the Hawk or Bug fires and the suspect was taken into custody.

On jail safety, Tone said the facility was not evacuated and that evacuation contingencies — including moving detainees to outside jails, prisons or large event facilities — are long-standing and exercised in planning. He also acknowledged that social media and Perimeter app posts are the fastest way to reach residents in evolving incidents, but that there are blind spots for people without phones and that officers cannot personally reach every motorist trapped in evacuation queues.

Residents raised questions about calls for better traffic-message boards and using 511 for emergency bulletins; Tone said he would pursue additional channels where appropriate and collect public suggestions for after-action review.