Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong has announced the pending retirement of Undersheriff Jerome Tushbant in August 2026 and the Undersheriff’s pending replacement. Assistant Sheriff Jim Primka will be promoted to the position of Undersheriff on August 8, 2026.
There will be a retirement ceremony Thursday, July 16 at the Bob Boldrick Theater, Carson City Community Center, 851 E. William St., Carson City, at 2:30 p.m. honoring the retirement of Undersheriff Jerome Tushbant and Deputy Joshua Carter.
The ceremony will also hold the swearing-in of Undersheriff Jim Primka and Deputy Tyler Luker, Deputy Juan Valdez Vasquez, Deputy Jasmine Peralta and Deputy Faith Moon.
Undersheriff Tushbant spearheaded the effort and will hand over the largest public safety technology upgrade in over 25 years to Primka. After approximately two years of intense coordination, the technology advancements were fully activated on June 2, 2026, and included enhanced capabilities for Fire, Paramedics, and law enforcement functions, including Dispatch, Detention, Patrol and Records Management.
The Sheriff credits Undersheriff Tushbant for his meticulous attention to system details and to the coordination of the training timeline for the successful implementation.
Stepping into the role of Undersheriff will be Assistant Sheriff Jim Primka. Jim moved to Carson City in 1979 and graduated from Carson High School in 1988. He is a Veteran of the U.S. Navy and received an Honorable discharge after serving for five years. In 1994, he joined the Carson City Sheriff’s Office as a Reserve Deputy and was hired full-time in June 1996. Over the course of his career, he has been assigned to the Detention, Patrol, and Investigations Divisions, where he has performed numerous duties, including patrol deputy, field training officer, detective, and SWAT operator.
In January of 2003, newly elected Sheriff Furlong promoted then Deputy Primka to the rank of Sergeant. He was assigned to serve in the Operations Division as a Watch Commander, Field Training Officer Coordinator, and lead defensive tactics instructor. In 2014, Jim was designated by the Sheriff to assume the added responsibilities of the department’s SWAT Commander. Primka was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in August 2018 and assigned to the Detention Division Commander role. He was also designated as the department’s Crisis Response Unit Commander, overseeing the SWAT team, Crisis Response Team, and Drone Unit.
In February 2019, Jim was promoted to Captain, continuing in his assignments as the Detention Division Commander and CRU Commander, and then promoted to Assistant Sheriff in March of 2020. In his newly assigned role, Primka oversaw the Detention Center, Communications Division, Civil and Records Unit, as well as all Volunteer units within the department. In September of 2022, he was reassigned to oversee the department’s “police” functions, including Patrol, Investigations, Traffic, Special Enforcement, Lab, and Evidence Vault. His additional responsibilities included the functions of SWAT, School Resource Officers, Mobile Outreach Safety Team, K-9 unit, and the department’s Task Force Officers assigned to outside agency support, including the Department of Public Safety TriNet Narcotics Task Force, the FBI’s Safe Street Task Force, and Task Force assignments for Internet Crimes Against Children.
Jim Primka holds an Associate of Applied Science degree in Criminal Justice. He obtained his initial law enforcement certification in 1995 after attending the High Sierra Law Enforcement Academy at Truckee Meadows Community College. He holds Nevada Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) certifications as a Category I First Responder and Category III Detention Services. Additionally, Assistant Sheriff Primka has completed Peace Officer career certifications of training to the levels of Intermediate, Advanced, Instructor, Supervisory, Management, and Executive level completions. In March 2018, Jim attended and completed the 10-week-long international course of instruction at the FBI National Academy in Quantico, VA.
Outside of the office, Jim has been married to his wife since 1997. During his career, Jim has volunteered with numerous youth sports associations as both a coach and a board member. Sheriff Furlong stated that Undersheriff designee Jim Primka brings together a long history of family, service to the community, distinctive career and educational development, and excellence in professional policing to best serve the residents and visitors of the Carson City community.
