Q&A: Sheriff's Chief Deputy Steve Schuette

Chief Deputy Steve Schuette has been with the Carson City Sheriff's Department since 1981. He is third in command, and was appointed by Sheriff Kenny Furlong when he was elected in 2002. Schuette, 52, lives in Carson City with his wife, Liza, a teacher Carson Middle School.

What are your duties?

My main function is to make sure the community receives professional, courteous service from this department. I work daily with all of the operations division supervisors to ensure that our staff have the resources they need to do their jobs, review budget and employee issues.

What do you think of the direction of the department?

I feel the direction of this department under Sheriff Furlong has been extremely positive. The sheriff has been very supportive of the community and employee needs. He has created new programs for both the community and the department, and he re-instituted some programs that were abandoned in the past.

Since Sheriff Furlong has come into office, we have provided the operations division with more equipment and training than I've seen in quite some time.

What programs are you anxious to see implemented?

As all residents know, the vehicle traffic in town can be a bit hectic at times. One of our future goals is to build our traffic division and separate it from our patrol so they can concentrate on traffic enforcement on a full-time basis. As it is now, our deputies assigned to traffic pull double duty as patrol deputies when the workload dictates, which is quite often.

Having worked your way through the ranks, do you have a better appreciation for those you supervise?

When I was hired in 1981, I was assigned to the detention division. Since then I have been assigned to patrol, patrol training officer, detectives, SWAT team commander, range master, honor guard, detective supervisor and some others I've forgotten. I believe it's been an advantage to have worked so many assignments prior to my appointment as chief. I know the day-to-day needs of the community, and I'm well aware of what the deputies encounter on a daily basis. I think being deputy sheriff is a very fun and exciting occupation, but there are days when it can really try your patience.

What's your favorite part of the job?

My favorite part is interacting with both staff and citizens. We have a lot of great employees, and we have a pretty good time around the department.

What's our least favorite part?

My least favorite part of this job was working graveyard (shift) in the winter. I've been lucky, and I haven't had to do that for a while.

What are your hobbies?

Riding and working on motorcycles.

Who is your favorite teacher?

Mr. Kotter

Who is your favorite TV cop?

Dan Akroyd as Sgt. Friday in "Dragnet."