Tahoe Substation

The Placer County Sheriff’s Tahoe Station is located about 1 ½ miles east of Tahoe City on Highway 28. It is slotted for 48 positions and commanded by a Sheriff’s captain. Staffing includes:

• 1 Administrative lieutenant
• 1 Community services officer
• 1 Court deputy
• 1 Detective sergeant
• 1 Evidence technician
• 1 Field operations lieutenant
• 1 Jail deputy
• 1 Problem oriented policing deputy (during summer) which then becomes the school resource officer (during school year)
• 18 Patrol deputy positions
• 4 Detectives
• 5 Professional staff
• 6 Patrol sergeants

Services

Some of the services provided by the Tahoe Station include:

• 24/7 patrol coverage
• Search and Rescue coordination with various highly trained search and rescue teams such as the Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue Team.
• One of the few certified high-altitude dive teams in the state. The team is used for rescue and recovery for both swift water and underwater operations.
• Boat patrol for the largest portion of Lake Tahoe.
• Bike patrol during special events.

History of the Office

Robert Montgomery Watson came to Tahoe in 1875 as a logger and became the town’s first constable in 1906. After Constable Watson’s death in 1932 he was replaced by Swedish immigrant Harry Johanson, known to the locals as Harry Jo. After taking over as constable, Harry Jo also became Tahoe’s first deputy sheriff, deputy tax collector and deputy coroner, covering his beat in the summer by horseback and by dogsled in the winter. 

The Tahoe station opened on September 30, 1960 in anticipation of the growth that would be created by the 1960 winter Olympics in Squaw Valley. Harry Johanson retired as Constable in 1967. He remained in the area until his death in 1983 and is buried in the Tahoe City Cemetery.

Coverage Area

The Tahoe Station covers the largest portion of Lake Tahoe, from the California/Nevada state line on Highway 28 west to the Nevada County line in Truckee and south on Highway 89 to the El Dorado County line in Tahoma. The station also covers Highway 267 from Kings Beach to the Nevada County line in Truckee as well as a small portion of Donner Lake. The communities covered by the station include: