Our news staff tracks crime news via the police scanner in the middle of our newsroom, and several of us have apps on our smartphones that allow us to do the same remotely. But enforcement actions aren’t always broadcast via the scanner.
A couple of Fridays ago, I stopped by a watering hole where some of the patrons there affectionately call me “Scoop” because they’ve seen me typing away on my laptop computer, working on things such as this column and checking in on the progress of the paper’s production. A couple of times, they’ve seen me dash out the door to chase breaking news.
On this particular night, one patron asked what had been going on earlier that day at Carson City a motel. He’d seen a number of law enforcement officers downtown, and it was clear something urgent was happening. I texted Sheriff Ken Furlong and learned that two men — neither of them local — had stolen an elderly woman’s purse at a casino. Less than 20 minutes later, Special Enforcement Team deputies had arrested both and recovered the purse.
Thanks to that patron, we had a short story online quickly and in the following day’s Nevada Appeal. It was one of many examples of stories we’ve learned about through reader tips.
If you’ve got an urgent tip, I urge you to call News Editor Adam Trumble at 775-881-1224 or me at 775-881-1221. If it’s less urgent, please shoot us an email at editor@nevadaappeal.com.
Of course, there are times when neither Adam nor I is reachable at work. Thanks to Google Voice technology, we’ve got a new solution to that. If you call 775-434-8473, you’ll either reach a member of our staff or will be able to leave a message we can retrieve remotely.
We encourage you to use the number when you see news break. We rely on your tips to produce the best, most updated newspaper and website we can.
Editor Brian Sandford can be reached at bsandford@nevadaappeal.com.
