Washoe County Sheriff Mike Haley will hold two Town Hall meetings during the month of May to discuss budget impacts on public safety. The first Town Hall meeting will be held this Tuesday, May 24th at 6:00p.m. at the Regional Public Safety Training Center located at 5190 Spectrum Boulevard in Reno.

Sheriff Haley will address issues related to the Governor’s proposed 2011-12 State Budget and potential impacts on public safety services if the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office is required to make anticipated reductions of 10-25 percent.

“I believe that now is the time for me to actively engage our community in the current budget process,” Sheriff Haley said.”The potential impacts to your public safety are so devastating, that we cannot afford to wait to take action. The time to act is now.”

Following Sheriff Haley’s comments, there will be time for audience questions.

All residents of Washoe County are encouraged to attend. The Sheriff’s Office pledged to make the budget process more transparent, inclusive and participatory.

“I want to increase public understanding of the budget impacts to their safety,” said Sheriff Mike Haley, “This is an important opportunity for all stakeholders to play an active role and share concerns relative to issues that directly impact the quality of life and ability to drive meaningful economic recovery.”

The second Town Hall meeting will be held in Sparks at Reed High School on Thursday, May 26th at 6:00 p.m.

Residents who wish to view the Sheriff’s May 24th Town Hall meeting live via Internet, will be able to do so only on Tuesday, May 24th at http://www.washoesheriff.com. After May 24th,a taped version of the Town Hall meeting will be available on the Washoesheriff.com website.

The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office celebrates 150 years of proud service and community partnership in 2011. Sheriff Michael Haley is the 24th person elected to serve as the Sheriff of Washoe County. His office continues to be the only full service public safety agency operating within northern Nevada and is responsible for operating the consolidated detention facility, regional crime lab, Northern Nevada Counter Terrorism Center, Internet Crimes against Children Task Force, court security, service of civil process and traditional street patrols.