How Reno Police Operates With Chief On Leave

Reno’s police department is being run by interim leaders while Chief Kathryn Nance remains on paid administrative leave during a city-ordered investigation. (reno.gov) Reno City Manager Jackie Bryant placed Nance and five other police employees on leave on March 9, 2026, and asked the Nevada Department of Public Safety to conduct an independent administrative investigation into alleged violations of city policy. City officials said leave is not a finding of wrongdoing. (reno.gov) The same day, the city named Washoe County Undersheriff Corey Solferino acting chief under an interlocal agreement with the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office. The city said Reno police services would continue “without interruption.” (reno.gov) Reno then expanded that temporary command structure on March 25, when the City Council approved another agreement for two retired local law-enforcement leaders to help run the department. Sean Garlock took the acting chief role for sworn staff, and Wayne Yarbrough took the acting chief role for professional staff. (reno.gov) That means day-to-day operations are now split across three experienced leaders: Solferino at the top, Garlock overseeing officers, and Yarbrough overseeing civilian operations. City officials said the arrangement was designed to keep patrol, investigations, detention coordination, and administrative work moving during the investigation. (reno.gov) (mynews4.com) The investigation has stretched past six weeks with no public explanation of the underlying allegations beyond “potential violations of City policy.” The Reno Gazette Journal reported on April 10 that Bryant said the public may never be told the full reason if the employees involved leave the department before the case is resolved. (reno.gov) (rgj.com) That lack of detail has turned the leadership shuffle into a broader test for City Hall as well as the police department. Mayor Hillary Schieve said on March 9 that the city had to address concerns involving police leadership while maintaining public safety and community trust. (reno.gov) Nance had been Reno’s chief since early 2023, when the City Council confirmed her appointment after she was recruited from the Stockton Police Department. She was presented then as Reno’s first female police chief. (reno.gov 1) (reno.gov 2) For now, Reno’s answer to a chief on leave is not a vacant command post but a borrowed one. The investigation is still open, and the city has said more information will be released only when it is legally appropriate to share. (reno.gov)