Chief Nance and Five Officers Placed on Leave as Investigation Begins
A Sudden Leadership Vacuum Inside the Reno Police Department and Questions Unanswered by City Leadership who were caught by surprise.
Reno City Hall delivered one of the most extraordinary public safety announcements in memory yesterday afternoon when Mayor Hillary Schieve and City Manager Jackie Bryant revealed that Reno Police Chief Kathryn Nance and five additional officers had been placed on paid administrative leave.
The city simultaneously confirmed that the Nevada Department of Public Safety (DPS) has launched an independent investigation into alleged violations of city policy inside the Reno Police Department.
To maintain operational stability, the city has entered into an interlocal agreement with the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office to provide executive leadership for the department on a temporary basis, leaving the Sheriff’s short staffed.
That means, for the first time in memory, Reno’s police department will effectively be overseen by leadership from another agency while an investigation unfolds. City officials repeatedly emphasized that this situation is unprecedented for the region.
Click the image to see a recording of the extraordinary press conference where Mayor Schieve and City Manager Bryant fumble through the unexpected announcement, but don’t say much.
What the City Says Happened
At the press conference, Mayor Schieve began by noting that she was born and raised in this community and has been mayor for 12 years.
She went on to say that the city had recently received allegations involving potential violations of city policy within the police department. Details on what happened were not provided.
“When those concerns were raised, we acted immediately,” Schieve said. “This matter was referred to an outside authority for an independent investigation.”
City Manager Bryant confirmed that the allegations involve internal administrative and compliance matters and that the employees involved have been placed on paid administrative leave while the investigation proceeds.
Administrative leave, she stressed, should not be interpreted as a determination of guilt. “It is a measure to protect the due process rights of all individuals and the integrity of the investigation,” Bryant said.
The investigation is now being conducted by the Nevada Department of Public Safety, an external agency that operates independently of the city.
In this article, I reported on the public's attacks on Chief Nance at the town hall on February 12th. It was clear that people are not happy with the police.
Six Senior Officers Removed From Duty
One of the most striking elements of the announcement was the scope of the action.
The city confirmed that Chief Nance and five additional Reno police officers are currently on leave. Officials declined to identify the officers or their ranks.
When reporters asked whether the five officers were part of the department’s command staff, Bryant refused to answer, citing the ongoing investigation.
However, the city’s decision to bring in outside leadership suggests that the situation likely involves multiple levels of department management, not simply a single officer.
Police departments typically replace leadership only when internal supervision could compromise the investigation or when senior personnel themselves are implicated.
It’s no wonder Mayor Schived was caught off guard by the scandal, as she has been spending much of her time promoting her skincare cream and is often absent from City Council meetings. She just returned from NYC for a Spooge promotion.
Sheriff’s Office Will Provide Temporary Leadership
Because the police chief and other officers are on leave, the city has asked the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office to provide executive leadership during the investigation.
Bryant said an acting chief from the sheriff’s office will assume command responsibilities at Reno Police Headquarters.
The city will reimburse the sheriff’s office for the cost of providing personnel. Bryant emphasized that the arrangement does not transfer control of the department to the sheriff.
“This is not a coup,” she said. “I remain responsible for the Reno Police Department.”
Still, the move is extraordinary. Bryant said she is not aware of any previous situation in the region in which an entire police leadership structure had to be temporarily replaced in this way.
Reno’s “City in Crisis” Video: How Incentives, Demolitions, and Sweeps Turned into a Human Disaster
In this article, I report how Reno has had festering problems for years, and nothing seems to get done by Mayor Schieve, who has been in office since 2014.
Officials Decline to Provide Key Details
Throughout the press conference, city leaders declined to answer several key questions.
Officials refused to disclose:
• the nature of the alleged policy violations
• the ranks of the five officers placed on leave
• who reported the allegations
• whether the allegations involve criminal conduct
• whether members of the public were harmed
• how long the investigation may take
Bryant said discussing those details could jeopardize due process rights, city liability concerns, and the integrity of the investigation.
“Anything I say right now about this investigation has the opportunity to impede the investigation or affect due process rights,” she said.
The Four Most Plausible Scenarios Investigators Are Examining
Based on the language used, these are the four most likely investigative directions.
1. Internal Affairs or Discipline Manipulation
Possible examples:
protecting certain officers
altering reports
mishandling misconduct complaints
2. Hiring / Promotion Irregularities
These cases often involve:
command staff decisions
administrative policy violations
3. Financial or Overtime Misconduct
Possible examples:
overtime abuse
grant misuse
training reimbursement fraud
4. Selective Investigation
Possible examples:
Politically connected individuals receive less scrutiny
Complaints involving officials are not being pursued
Cases quietly closed despite credible allegations
City Manager Bryant has been busy trying to close the budget deficit and probably hasn’t had much time to monitor the police, even though Chief Nance reports to her.
A Potentially Long Investigation
Officials also made clear that the investigation could take an unknown amount of time. Bryant said the state will determine the timeline.
“The Department of Public Safety has a job to do,” she said. “That will take as long as it takes to get the job done.”
During that time, the sheriff’s office will provide leadership support while the department continues normal operations.
Bryant emphasized that patrol operations, investigations, and daily policing duties will continue uninterrupted.
“The rank and file of the police department know what to do,” she said, which is interesting considering that their command staff is being investigated.
Rumors About Long-Term Issues
During the press conference, a reporter said sources suggested the alleged violations could date back 20 years. Bryant declined to comment on that claim.
If the investigation ultimately examines practices that stretch back decades, it could involve multiple past administrations and departmental leadership structures.
At this stage, however, officials say the scope of the investigation remains unknown, confirming that the city government has been asleep at the wheel.
The Impact on Public Trust
The sudden removal of a police chief and multiple officers inevitably raises concerns about public trust. Schieve acknowledged that the situation could be unsettling for the community.
“Yes, it is unsettling,” she said. “But the Reno Police Department will continue to provide the same public safety services it did yesterday and will provide tomorrow.”
Both Schieve and Bryant repeatedly praised the department’s rank-and-file officers and stressed that the investigation involves a limited number of individuals, not the entire department, but only the leadership, including Schieve and Bryant, who are responsible for oversight, but not currently under investigation.
What Happens Next
The immediate next step will be the appointment of an acting chief from the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, which officials said will occur quickly.
City leaders will also meet with police unions representing both line officers and supervisors to ensure continuity during the leadership transition.
Bryant said the city plans to hold additional press briefings as the situation develops, although she cautioned that investigators—not city officials—control the flow of information.
“I will continually be in the position of not being able to provide details of the investigation,” she said, but apparently, she is available for photo opportunities.
A Rare Moment for Reno Policing
For now, the investigation has created a rare moment of uncertainty inside Reno’s law enforcement leadership.
With the police chief and multiple officers on leave and an outside agency conducting the investigation, the city has taken the unusual step of temporarily placing leadership of its police department in the hands of another agency.
Whether the investigation ultimately reveals administrative violations, management failures, or something more serious remains to be seen. What is clear is that Reno is now facing one of the most significant internal reviews of its police leadership in decades.
City officials say the investigation will proceed wherever the facts lead. For the moment, many of those facts remain unknown. So we wait to see if this situation amounts to anything. The rumors are starting, but the situation is unclear.
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While this is obviously huge, I predict that details will be few and slow in coming. Look for blather and non-answers from all sides.
"We would say more but this is an ongoing investigation which we don't want to jeopardize. So sorry about that. Can't tell you anything."
"We're not saying anyone is guilty. Everyone is presumed innocent. This will be a long investigation. We'll just have to see how it plays out."
No doubt all of the accused are already lawyered up with Union and/or private attorneys.
"I plead not guilty. On the advice of my counsel, I have no comment to make."
But this likely won't hold for long. There are too many "sources on the inside" who will start to spill the beans.
Mildly interesting that Reese seemed to jump to the defense of the accused. "Let's not prejudge without all of the facts."
Might be fun to watch this unfold.
Mike, Another Timely Stupendous Report!!! 3/10/26
You said, "The rumor is that the police were certified but didn't complete the training."
Could things like this have started many years ago.. and continued to expand to to the point of becoming the dept's modus operandi and standard technique? Maybe even throughout Reno govt organizations?
We need to let this play out.. and hope that your Reno Report continues to be right at the top of Reno Watch-Dogging!
Sam DNA Dehne
PS
I have been one the topmost supporters for Reno's Police publicly and ubiquitously -
when they do their duty; which is to "protect lives and Property".
I went so far as to nominate and publicly "swear in" the previous Police Chief almost single-handedly: (proof) https://www.renocitizen.com/jasonsoto.htm