By Kathryn Reed

Dave Brady believes there are plenty of ways to change the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department. He would start with the budget.

Brady is challenging longtime incumbent Ron Pierini for the job of sheriff. The primary is in June, with a runoff in November 2014 if necessary. They are the first two to declare their candidacy.

“I served as a reserve (deputy) initially in 1986. The (department’s) budget was $3.1 million and there were 24,000 residents. Now the population has about doubled, the budget is $16 million and they are still running with five cars. I see that as an issue that needs to be addressed,” Brady said.

Dave Brady

He doesn’t understand why the budget has grown and services have not.

Brady resigned as a reserve deputy when he declared his candidacy this month. This is a volunteer position.

He wants to take his experience in law enforcement and the financial world to do something so the sheriff’s office budget no longer represents 40 percent of Douglas County’s general fund. He believes the department is in need of leadership change.

“I think we can safely reallocate resources. I would want to add a car to the lake at peak hours,” Brady said.

Most times of day there are two Douglas sheriff’s vehicles covering the Lake Tahoe portion of the county.

“I don’t see the lake as being an afterthought. I see it as being a vital and critical element to Douglas County both in the short term and long term,” Brady told Lake Tahoe News. “I see the lake in transition. There are a lot of things being done to reinvent that area. I want to make sure the sheriff’s office is onboard and willing to provide support.”

As a reserve, Brady was on the patrol boat this summer at Tahoe. He works Fourth of July and New Year’s Eve, so he knows all about the influx of tourists to the South Shore.

Brady and his wife moved to the Carson Valley in 1985 after their daughter was born. (They have five adult children.) They had been living in Southern California where he was a police officer in Redondo Beach for eight years. He worked patrol and was primarily a K9 officer.

When the president of the police association said they needed someone to manage the money Brady realized he didn’t have the skills to do so. This led him back to the classroom where he became a certified financial planner.

He also has an associate of arts degree in criminal justice, a bachelor’s in public affairs from USC, as well as a master’s in public administration from USC.

Today he blends law enforcement with finance by managing several police associations in Nevada and California. He is president of Brady & Associates, a financial services firm in the Carson Valley.

When he first moved to Nevada he worked for the state Gaming Control Board.

“When I began my career in law enforcement I did so with the expectation I would lead a law enforcement agency,” Brady said. “Along the way I took on careers that distracted from the typical way up the ranks that people would pursue.”

Brady was appointed to the Douglas County school board in 1995 and resigned in 2004 when he moved out of the district. He was a Douglas County commissioner from 2005-10.

When he isn’t working, Brady likes to compete in ocean sailing races in Southern California – in 2011 he sailed to Hawaii, and once a week he likes to ride his bike up Kingsbury Grade.