CHRISTINA EICHELKRAUT / PVT The graduates of the Nye County Sheriff's Auxiliary Academy, class of 2007, stand with Nye County Sheriff Tony DeMeo after their graduation ceremony last Monday. The auxiliary unit is made up entirely of volunteers who assist the sheriff's office in their duties. Advertisement

The Nye County Sheriff's Auxiliary Unit, the all-volunteer attachment of officers for the sheriff's office, welcomed 11 officers to its rank numbers last Monday afternoon.

Each of the new graduates went through more than 65 hours of training over the course of two weeks, learning defensive tactics such as proper use of a police baton and pepper spray.

They were trained by Jim Gregory and Bob Yaeckel.

Sheriff Tony DeMeo took the opportunity to thank the new officers for volunteering their time and effort to the department.

The sheriff stressed the importance of the auxiliary unit, especially given the fact that the sheriff's office has seen a 67 percent increase of calls over the last four years.

"Every moment you spend out there gives us an opportunity to put more deputies out on the street," DeMeo said. "You help us greatly in our mission to protect and serve the citizens of Nye County."

The Auxiliary Academy Class of 2007 included James Seay, Mickey Hayashi, Michael Eisenloffel, Lewis Welk, David McCaslin, George "Skeet" Smith, Frank Heyner, Debra Rimmer, Andrew Franzen and Morris Goldner.