Driving down the street at a mild 34 mph, 24-year?”old Mike Olcese saw no need to slow down when he passed a patrolman clocking the cars as they rolled by.

Suddenly the Reno Police Department’s best burst into action.

Olcese, shocked by the view in his rear-view mirror of the lights of the law, pulled over to the side of the road.

After the cop came to his window a familiar dialogue took place.

Olcese recalls the cop saying, “Do you know why I pulled you over? I clocked you at 34 and this is a 30 mile per hour zone.”

So maybe the Reno police don’t have enough to do, one aspect of life for the officer’s portrayed in “Reno911!.”

Sacramento State graduate Jon Hulihen said that although he has been to at least five Hot August Nights in Reno he has never seen anything more than “A bunch of drunk guys.”

“When people think of Reno, they think of a bunch of trailers parked around two casinos with prostitutes running all over the place,” Olcese said.

“The only crimes they have in Reno are with meth-heads and prostitutes.”

The show, which is not filmed in Reno but in Southern California, is a parody of “Cops”-style shows, with Reno officers that are slightly off-center and often behave ridiculously.

In a recent episode while delivering the news that CSI would be coming to town Officer Dangle, played by Thomas Lennon delivers a line that sums up the shows premise.

“If you want to start a list of television shows about law enforcement that are inaccurate, where do we start?” said Dangle.

Washoe County Sheriff Dennis Ballam thinks you may start with “Reno911!”

“I have over 30 years in law enforcement.” Said Balaam to the Reno Gazette-Journal last year, “During that time, I have seen the profession parodied in Hollywood and have laughed along with those around me – Are we offended” No. It had nothing to do with the Reno Police Department or the sheriff’s office, nor did we have anything to do with the production. The group depicted is purely fictional in looks, actions and name.”

Unlike the city on the show, Reno is not void of real crime.

In fact, Reno’s crime rate fell in 2004 for the first time in five years according to the Department of Public Safety.

According to the Drug Policy Information Clearinghouse, Reno had 14,551 arrests in 2003 including 16 for murder, 29 for Rape and 287 for aggravated assault.

In the past week there were arrests for sexual assault, armed robbery and shooting into an occupied vehicle along with the usual narcotics and DUI arrests, according to the Reno Police Department arrest log.

The real officers of Reno have to keep up with the criminals, and those dangerous people that speed 34 in a 30.

“I could have sworn I was going 30,” said Olcese.

Robert Alvis can be reached at [email protected]