Carson City Senior Center renews TRIAD program

The Carson City Senior Center has renewed its TRIAD program, with the goal of improving the lives of local senior citizens.

TRIAD is a national sheriff’s initiative to provide support, education and information to seniors through a partnership between the sheriff, fire department and community. The events will run monthly and bring in community leaders to present and talk with the citizens about issues or safety concerns in the community.

“It feels amazing to have that partnership with the Carson City Fire Department and Sheriff’s Office and support from them is huge,” said Senior Center executive director Courtney Warner. “How neat is it to have programs to empower seniors and help provide information and resources to them?”

For the first installment, the Sheriff’s Office presented “Guns, Gangs and Dogs” to show the seniors some of the equipment and situations the Special Enforcement Team deals with.

“They are the front line of what is going on in Carson City,” said Sheriff Ken Furlong. “Right now, today, the crime rate is the lowest it has been in 25 years and that is because of this team.”

The officers presented several pieces of equipment they use including firearms, ballistic vests and breaching materials. Gang Unit Deputy Dan Jones even showed the packed room some tools and logos used by motorcycle gangs in the area.

“We have a full mix of gangs in Carson City,” Jones said.

The crowd-pleaser was when the team introduced Rex, their K9 Deputy. The seniors had a chance to pet the dog and interact with the officers as well as see a small bite demonstration.

“He is one of our better tools on SET because he’s trained to find drugs,” said Rex’s handler, Deputy Jeff Pullen.

The unit had a 20-minute presentation and then the seniors had the chance to ask questions of the officers and take a closer look at the different equipment they brought.

Though this month’s event was focused on the Sheriff’s Office, Furlong made a point to introduce Sean Slamon, the new fire chief. Both men will be working with the TRIAD council to provide information at the events.

“I am excited to be here today,” Slamon said. “But most importantly, I am excited for all of us. Our goal is to make a better quality of life for you and all of the citizens of Carson City.”