Accountable

Honest

Experienced

With over 20 years of experience, Darin Balaam is running for Washoe County Sheriff. 

As northern Nevada enters a period of tremendous population growth and associated problems, Darin Balaam plans to focus on three primary pillars during the campaign and while in office: mental health service both within the Detention Facility and in the community, domestic violence treatment and prevention, and community policing and problem solving.  Having lived in this community his entire life, he believes we must ensure that we are prepared for the challenges of the future.  

Honoring his family, and his father.

You may recognize Darin Balaam’s name because his father, Dennis Balaam, served as Sheriff of Washoe County from 2000 to 2007. It was a great honor and privilege to watch his dad lead, and that's one of the reasons why he is continuing that tradition, and running for sheriff. 

He plans to meet with people in the community and listen to their needs throughout his campaign. At the end of the day, he wants to make a difference and make this community safe for all families.

Before running for Washoe County Sheriff, Darin Balaam dedicated himself to protecting and serving this community. Before retirement, Balaam held many high-level positions with the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office from Property Clerk all the way to an Assistant Sheriff over the Operations Bureau.

Focused on Giving Back

Balaam is a fifth generation Nevadan and a Sparks native, where he currently resides with his four children and wife of over twenty years. He and his wife Heather met at the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office where they began their careers as Deputy Sheriff’s. They both come from a strong line of police officers, their father’s retired from the Sheriff’s Office with over 30 plus years of experience.  

Both parents instilled in them at an early age the importance of having a safe community and always treating others the way you would like to be treated. They say it takes a village to raise children, but they think it takes a village to prosper a great community.