The Churchill County Sheriff’s Office values the close working relationship it has with its partners in this community and treasures the prayers for our safety and for wisdom offered by the citizens we serve and protect. We are truly blessed to have the support and respect of so many in our community and when something happens locally we are always amazed by the immediate willingness to help us, these offers to help come in from a variety of sources and we are truly grateful for them. This support, respect and desire to help us is very different from many communities and for this we feel extremely blessed.
The Churchill County Sheriff’s Office holds this trust, respect and support in very high regard and strives to maintain it, believing deeply in the oath we took and the law enforcement code of ethics. We are as saddened, disappointed and upset by the events unfolding around our nation as you are and we want justice served as badly as you do.
We as members of Law Enforcement are entrusted with great power and trust, it is expected that we are prudent in the use of these powers and to act judiciously in all cases. We are trusted not to abuse these powers or to violate that trust for it is fragile and can be broken easily. We undergo hours of initial training and attend yearly recertification courses dealing with these powers and how to effectively engage them but also how to disengage and re-evaluate the situation.
The senseless, barbaric, violent and deadly rioting, the looting and burning that has taken place in so many great cities and towns across this nation and in our own beautiful state have distracted from the call for a conversation, for change and for justice. These riots and the destruction they are leaving in their wake along with the fear they are instilling in people must stop. The lumping of all members of law enforcement into one category, saying that all cops are evil and in some cases worse is unfounded and untrue. This type of rhetoric only serves to drive a wedge between the citizens and law enforcement, the very people we as Law Enforcement are to serve and protect and as a citizen the person you should trust to help in a time of need.
When we as a law enforcement officer get dispatched to a call we do not stop and ask the race, ethnicity, the religion or the sexual orientation of a person needing our help we just go, we go because someone needs help, someone is in danger. That someone is a son, a daughter, a niece, a nephew, a mom, or a dad to someone, they are human and for that very fact we are coming to their aid.
When the rioting and destruction began in Reno the Churchill County Sheriff’s Office administration as well as several key members of it staff responded to the Sheriff’s Office and took steps to be as prepared as best we possibly could in case the criminals committing the violent disruption in Reno decided to come to Fallon. On that night and at various times since then, there have been conversations and an exchange of information between the leaders of all the Public safety entities and Emergency Response elements in our community in an effort to make sure we are all prepared
On the night of June 2, 2020 one of our neighboring community’s peace was marred by the violent, and destructive actions of a few criminals. This agency received an extremely large amount of tips, questions and inquiries from worried citizens looking for answers and reassurance as to what was going on and that all was as well as it could be in our community. These concerned citizens wanted to pass along information they had heard, information about criminals coming this way or acts of violence underway.
Please rest assured that we are taking the threat of rioters coming to our community very seriously and will not stand for the destruction of our City and County, its businesses and historical markings. We recognize and support the right to assemble in peaceful protest but draw the line at criminal behavior and it will not be tolerated.
Richard Hickox, Churchill County Sheriff
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