The Nye County Sheriff’s Office plans to have additional deputies patrolling the highways and byways later this year, as the agency began its latest training academy last month.
Sheriff’s Office Captain David Boruchowitz said due to the coronavirus outbreak, the training methods have been altered to ensure the safety of both the recruits and training officers.
“This academy class has it differently than previous classes because of COVID-19, and the class is already lovingly coined by others ‘the COVID-19 class’,” he said. “With any gathering of people, there are risks, and this is the first of many risks these deputies will make in their career in the interest of public safety. Due to staffing levels and the desperate need for bodies on the street, the Nye County Sheriff’s Office must keep the academy class on schedule, despite the concerns and risks of COVID-19.”
Boruchowitz also noted that the recruits start each morning by sanitizing and disinfecting the training classroom.
“This cleaning regimen continues throughout the day,” he said. “The recruits’ temperatures are taken and logged. Anytime there is close-quarter interaction, personal protection equipment is donned to minimize the risk. Much like doctors and nurses working on their patients, the recruits put on eye protection and masks during their inspection when it is inevitable that an officer will be in close quarters to them.”
Additionally, Boruchowitz noted that the class began much like every other academy, with academy introductions of command staff, and the cringe-worthy first inspection.
“Although the class had to handle their dreaded first inspection donned in masks and goggles and had the added uncomfortableness of that apparel, they made it through the first of many hurdles to come. Throughout the academy a variety of modifications will be made to minimize the risk of COVID-19, but only so much can be done without compromising the training they will receive to handle the variety of other risks they inevitably will face in their careers.”
Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant Adam Tippetts noted that during each academy, there are some recruits who don’t make it to graduation.
“The academy started on April 13th, with 14 recruits, and so far, we lost two,” he said. “With the coronavirus, we are changing the way we are doing our training so it will be a little longer than normal. The exact graduation date hasn’t been determined just yet, but it looks like we may have to push it back about four weeks to the first week or second week of September.”
Tippetts also spoke of the importance of having additional qualified deputies patrolling the Pahrump Valley.
“We see that we are continuously running short-staffed, and we are constantly recruiting and trying to keep key positions filled,” he said. “It’s just a never-ending battle, but we just want to make sure that we attract and refine the most qualified and capable deputies to ensure public safety within the community.”
Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @pvtimes