Deputy takes on race for Sheriff

At 35, Deputy Bob Guimont with the Carson City Sheriff's Department has his entire career ahead of him. His journey in law enforcement, however, took a new direction when Guimont announced his candidacy for the position of Carson City sheriff.

A Washoe High School graduate, Guimont has spent the past seven years patrolling Carson City streets as a deputy and is a member of Carson City's Special Operations Response Team. Before that, he worked for four years for the Storey County Sheriff's Department.

"Since I was four years old, this is the only thing I've ever wanted to do," he said Sunday from the east Carson City home he shares with his wife, Theresa, and four step children.

"I believe law enforcement is a noble profession. No matter what I am doing I show up an hour early and stay over with my boots polished and my brass shined."

Guimont's focus is simple, turn Carson City from "Tweeker Town" into a community with zero tolerance for drugs.

"I want to redirect resources to fight drugs," he said. "The drug traffickers and manufacturers -- these are the individuals who need to let their families know not to vote for me. What I feel I can give Carson City is some direction."

Guimont said Reno dopers come to Carson because it's an easy hit. They can burglarize homes, steal cars and leave. He hopes to make the city an unpleasant place for drug users to live in and visit.

"I've had neighbors say, 'I can handle the gang members and I can handle the drugs, but when they have guns ... '

"It's disgusting to settle. I will take a zero tolerance stance on drug traffickers, manufacturers and gangs."

In addition to fighting drugs on the streets, Guimont hopes to make an inmates stay in the Carson City Jail less than comfortable.

"Right now it's rest and relaxation in my opinion and I don't think it should be that way," he said.

Guimont said he will take cable out of the jail, which he said criminals refer to as the "Carson Hilton," and he wants to show cartoons 24 hours a day.

"We're not here to educate these guys. If we are going to educate them, I want them to pick up (information) on drug and alcohol abuse. Bring counselors into the jail," he said. "A lot of these (inmates) aren't waste cases. They aren't someone you just want to throw away for the rest of their life. If you get ahold of them and give them the opportunities and the tools, maybe they'll make something of their lives."

He also wants to implement a boot camp program for adults and juveniles alike.

"These inmates can be maintaining things that usually tie up a paid city employee to do."

The senior population of Carson won't be forgotten by his administration, he said.

"I want to involve senior citizens in decision making," he said, adding concerns of the elderly may not always be in sync with the rest of the population.

Neighborhood Watch, the DARE drug program and gang intervention, are programs Guimont said he will revitalize.

"I want these programs to be an extension of the Sheriff's Office. The eyes and ears of the Department."

Guimont also hopes to increase the number of reserve deputies, mounted police and working dogs on the force,

"I want no less than three dogs -- cross trained. This will save the lives of deputies." He plans to have the dogs and their deputy handlers patrol highways 50 East and West.

"Those are the main thoroughfares for drugs into Carson City. I do not want these drug traffickers driving through Carson City," he said.

"I will run this office like a business and if I don't do what I said I would, the citizens can fire me," he said.

Guimont is the third person to announce his candidacy for sheriff. Also running are Wayne Fazzino, an investigator with the Nevada Attorney General's Office and Kenneth Furlong, a detective with the Nevada Division of Investigations. Sheriff Rod Banister, currently in his second term in office, hasn't said whether he'll run again.