Sergeant Christensenis an 18-year veteran with the Washoe County Sheriff's Office. During his tenure with the agency, Sergeant Christensen served on the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team specializing as an Explosive Breacher and is now a Team Leader for the Hostage Negotiation Team having graduated from the FBI Hostage Negotiator Training. He also teaches the Regional Cultural Diversity course for law enforcement and civilian personnel. Sgt. Christensen’s personal and professional experiences working in the Detention Facility as well as Patrol Operations gives him a unique perspective for community engagement and support in his current leadership position in the Detention Services Unit.

The Detention Services Unit (DSU) provides services to the inmate population helping bridge the gap to community resources upon release. Sgt. Christensen leads his team to connect inmates with local resources to help prevent reoffending, connect the inmate population with treatment, housing, Medicaid and other basic needs vital to their re-entry success. He also orchestrates collaboration between DSU, the Mobile Outreach Safety Team, the Homeless Outreach Proactive Engagement team, Salvation Army and the Veteran Affairs Unit, just to name a few. Sgt. Christensen also supports the Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Program in the Detention Facility. Sergeant Christensen presented the work of the DSU in the 2023 RX Summit Poster Board Presentations, and he will continue to provide a blueprint for law enforcement's ability to influence change for addiction in the inmate community as well as enhancing law enforcement’s role in providing support and services for re-entry.