When should I call the Sheriff's Office?
The Sheriff's Office is available to assist you twenty-four hours a day. Our communication center will answer your call and dispatch the personnel and equipment to meet your needs. In case of fire or other immediate threat to the safety of others, you may dial 911. Non-emergency calls should be made to our communication staff at 775-782-5126. Please refer to our department's telephone listing for additional telephone numbers.
How do I report a compliment, or a complaint, about the actions or conduct of a Sheriff's Office employee
You can call in, or write a letter of compliment or complaint directly to the employee's Captain. In your letter describe the situation, the employee's actions and/or conduct as well as the approximate location and date of the event. Please address your letter to that employee's Captain and mail the letter to our main office at PO Box 218 Minden, NV 89423. To learn who an employee's Captain is, you can contact the on-duty Watch Commander at 775-782-9075 or Sheriff's Administration at 775-782-9900.
How can I get a copy of an Accident Report or Incident/Crime Report?
Come to the Sheriff's Office Records Division in Minden or the Stateline office Monday through Friday from 8:00 to 5:00, or send a self-addressed stamped envelope to our records Division and include your full name, your date of birth and your social security number, Sheriff's Office case number (if available), and a check or money order for $5.00 per report. The report will be mailed to you with a receipt, if the report is available for release.
How do I obtain a permit to carry a concealed weapon (firearm)?
All applications for a permit to carry a handgun are to be submitted to the Records Division of the Douglas County Sheriff's Office in Minden, Nevada. Application forms are available on this website. Applicants must:
- Apply in person
- Have a copy of their Concealed Weapons Course certificate
- Be in possession of their driver's license or other photo ID verifying their correct physical address
- Pay a fee of $98.25 by cash, check (if local) or credit card at time of application.
- Renewals can only be done 120 days prior to expiration.
What can be done about illegally parked or abandoned vehicles?
Illegally parked or abandoned vehicles found on private property are the responsibility of the property owner or its management. Property owners or their management may have illegally or abandoned vehicles removed from their property at their expense. The sheriff's office asks only that the property owner or authorizing agent having the vehicle towed notifies the Sheriff's Office so that no stolen vehicle report is initiated.
To report illegally parked or abandoned vehicles on public right-of-way, notify the Sheriff's Office at 775-782-5126 Depending upon the circumstances, the vehicle will be subject to immediate removal or the owner of the vehicle will be afforded up to 72 hours to remove the vehicle him or herself. Click on this link (View County Code) to learn more about the County codes related to this question.
Who do I contact in regards to loose or barking dogs or loose cattle on the roadway?
The Douglas County Animal Control will be happy to assist you when cattle or neighborhood dogs are roaming loose or are otherwise a nuisance. You may contact their office at 775-782-9061. Click on this link (View County Code) to learn more about the County codes related to the questions concerning dogs.
How do I report illegal or suspicious activity?
There are several ways in which to report information to the Sheriff's Office. You can call the communications center and report the information directly to them or request to speak with an officer in person. The non-emergency telephone number to the communications center is 775-782-5126. If the suspicious activity may be a crime in progress, dial 911 for an immediate response.
Information may be relayed to law enforcement through our Secret Witness hotline. Monetary rewards are sometimes offered for information resulting in the arrest and conviction of those responsible in certain cases. Secret Witness may be contacted at 775-782-7463 (78-CRIME)
Regardless of the method you choose to relay the information to law enforcement, it is of the utmost importance that you communicate that information as quickly as possible. Any hesitation will only result in opportunities lost or others being victimized.
How do I write or send money to an inmate?
Click on this link (Download Inmate Information) to learn about contacting inmates in the Douglas County Jail.
What is the curfew for Douglas County?
Douglas County ordinance 9.64.010 makes it unlawful for any juvenile under the age of eighteen to loiter, wander, stroll or play in or on the public streets, highways, roads, alleys, parks or places of amusement between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. any evening preceding a scheduled school day of the Douglas County Unified School District and between the hours of 12:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. of any non-school day. Click on this link (View County Code) to learn more about the County codes related to this question.
Does my child still need to use a car seat?
Click on this link (View State Code) to learn about the State codes related to this question.
My child has a motorized cart, dirt bike or other mode of transportation. Is it legal for him/her to operate it on the side of the roadway?
Any contraption powered by a combustionable or electric engine is by law considered a motor vehicle. The use of these devises is prohibited upon any street, highway, roadway or sidewalk unless the operator possesses a license and the motor vehicle is properly equipped, registered and insured. Mopeds by strict definition and wheelchairs are exempt. Click on this link (View County Code) to learn more about the County codes related to this question.
I've filed a report with the Sheriff's Office, now what?
Once a report has been taken by a deputy it should be available for release within two weeks. If further investigation is required an investigator should contact you within two weeks of the report being filed.
When is the shooting range open for public use?
Douglas County Parks oversees the use and operation of the shooting range. The Sheriff's Office does use the range for training purposes and it will be closed to the public during those times. The range schedule for the Sheriff's Office is:
THE RANGE WILL BE CLOSED ON THE FOLLOWING DATES IN DECEMBER FOR TRAINING:
Tuesday December 17th from sun-up until noon
The range will not be available during this time. Thank you for your cooperation and support.
It is highly recommended that you also contact the Parks Department at 775-782-9828 to ensure availability before venturing out to the range.
What about hunters or others firing weapons near my home?
Douglas County Ordinance 9.68.030 states that it is unlawful for anyone to discharge any gun, pistol, rifle or other firearm with the exception of shotguns or air rifles within one thousand five hundred feet of any dwelling without the permission of the occupant. The safe distance for shotguns or air rifles is five hundred feet from any dwelling. Click on this link (View County Code) to learn about the County codes related to this question.
Are there rules about having excessively noisy dirt bikes?
Click on this link (View County Code) to learn about the County codes related to this question.
How do I find out if there are any Sex Offenders living in my area?
Click on this link (Offender Registry) to learn more about registered sex offenders that may be living in your area.
Where can I dispose of my unwanted Prescriptions?
The Med Return Drug Collection Units at the Judicial & Law Enforcement Center in Minden and at the Stateline facilities are designed to supplement the semi-annual prescription drug roundups sponsored by the Sheriff's Office. Access to the boxes is available 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Friday with no questions asked. Please black out the name on the prescription bottles before dropping into the receptacles.
Accepted material includes prescription patches, medications, over-the-county, vitamins, samples and pet medications.
Unacceptable items include syringes, thermometers, hydrogen peroxide, inhalers, aerosol cans, ointments, lotions or liquids or medications from businesses or clinics.
How do I seal my record in Douglas County?
View more Douglas County Codes