Reno Cop Watch

10/18/2026

Six years ago today, October 16, 2020, 74-year-old Joel Everett Edwards lost his life in a crash that never should have happened.

Mr. Edwards was lawfully riding his motorcycle when Washoe County Sheriff's Deputy Jade Brinson made an illegal left-hand turn directly into his path, causing the collision that killed him.

Joel was more than a statistic or a news headline. He was a husband, a father, a family man, and a loved one. He left behind his wife of 45 years and a family whose lives were forever changed by his death. Today, we ask our supporters to keep Joel's family in their thoughts as they continue to carry the pain of this loss. 💔

For nearly a year, Joel's family waited to see whether there would be any accountability. On September 30, 2021, Deputy Brinson was charged with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter. Yet the outcome left many questioning whether justice was truly served. While a family was forced to endure a lifetime without their loved one, Brinson ultimately received a $1,000 fine as “punishment” which was approved by judicial officer Derek Dreiling (he’s running against Edmund “Joe” Gorman for the Department 1 seat of Second Judicial District Court.)

The contrast is difficult to ignore, one family lost a husband, father, and grandfather, while the person responsible for the fatal crash faced only a minimal penalty. Brinson appears to be collecting his pension as of 2024.

Months before charges were filed, Joel's family expressed fears that they might never receive justice. In June 2021, they shared these powerful words:

"Officers are there to protect the difference between right and wrong and in that moment when my father was killed by an officer, they did the exact opposite."

Six years later, the questions surrounding accountability remain. So does the family's unbearable grief.

Today, we remember Joel Everett Edwards. We remember the life he lived, the family who loved him, and the ongoing pursuit of justice in his name.
Never forgotten. 🕯️

10/17/2026

From advocate for the inmates and the innocence Tonja Brown

Before the primary, Wes Duncan had become aware of what was happening in the DA’s Office, including its failure to follow its own written policy for the Conviction Integrity Committee. Chris Hicks protected his predecessors and current staff while violating that policy, which is intended to review wrongful convictions.

Chris Hicks knew that the Conviction Integrity Committee (CIC) had not reviewed any of the exculpatory or newly discovered evidence in my brother’s caseincluding evidence that I had located the real perpetrator that was hidden by the prosecutor. Instead, he allowed the CIC to discriminate against me as an applicant because another person had submitted an application three months earlier. That applicant presented no newly discovered evidence and alleged no Brady violation, yet received a complete and thorough investigation. My brother’s case, despite the exculpatory and newly discovered evidence, was denied review.

Wes Duncan will receive the same information provided to Chris Hicks and the Conviction Integrity Committee (CIC): the exculpatory evidence found in the DA’s file in 2009, as well as newly discovered evidence that was submitted but never addressed. This includes evidence identifying the actual perpetrator, who confessed to the crime.

I am confident that the new DA, Wes Duncan, will conduct a thorough investigation into my innocent brother’s wrongful conviction and that the review will lead to his full exoneration. Wes Duncan has spoken about restoring integrity. Giving my brother’s case the thorough review it deserves is part of that workand something Chris Hicks failed to do.

I believe Wes Duncan will restore integrity to the District Attorney’s Office and uphold its responsibility to stand for justice. That means doing the right thing when prosecutors intentionally withhold evidence to secure a conviction and when others continue to conceal that misconduct to preserve it. Such conduct is corruption, and I am confident Wes Duncan will not allow it to continue under his administration.

NEW DETAILS
The Nevada Commission on Ethics has dismissed an ethics complaint filed against Washoe County District Attorney Chris Hicks.

For the full story, click the link in the comments.

10/17/2026

As expected, after its much touted deflocking (ie ending its agreement with Flock), a staff report now indicates the City of Reno is considering a new contract with Axon as a new vendor for license plate reader cameras and call response drones, with an eight year contract which would run from 2027 until the end of 2034.

It would combine contracts with the Scottsdale based Axon which already provides Reno PD with Tasers, body cameras and other technological services, topping $20 million.

50 solar-powered Outpost cameras are being considered, which the company’s website says combine "ALPR, livestreaming, and vehicle attribute recognition in one fixed device — going beyond just a hit to provide the full picture in real time.”

Anti mass surveillance advocates are bound to be present to speak out against this move at next Wednesday's meeting when this will be presented.

10/17/2026

Public records belong to the public, but navigating the request process can feel overwhelming.

Here is a quick breakdown of how to submit a Nevada public records request for local municipal data or agency reports, including key timelines and requirements under state law NRS chapter 239.

10/16/2026

October 15, 2016 30-year-old Kristofer Talancon was asphyxiated to death by Sparks Police Officers. Officer George Forbush, Officer Yeadon Sturtevant, and Officer Chris Crawforth .

9 years later, there has still been no accountability. Instead, one of these same officers moved up the ranks to Chief of police, Chris Crawforth. George Forbush went viral for his racist threatening tweets in 2020. Sturtevant also killed Johnny Bonta 10/22/2017. This is what “accountability” looks like in Washoe County: officers involved in deaths being promoted and rewarded within the same system that took a life.

Kristofer was a son, a brother, a friend a human being whose life mattered. His death is one of multiple asphyxiation deaths in Washoe County at the hands of law enforcement. From Sparks PD to Reno PD to the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, we’ve seen this same pattern again and again, people held down, choked, and pig piled on until they can’t breathe and families left broken while those responsible walk free.

This community has suffered enough.
Washoe County’s law enforcement agencies have a deadly pattern of asphyxiation deaths and it cannot continue.

Rest in Power, Kristofer Talancon.
We remember you. We speak your name. We demand justice. Please keep Kris’s loved ones in your thoughts on this painful anniversary.

10/14/2026

10/14/2026

Today marks 13 years since 45-year-old Monica Ritchey was fatally shot by Sparks police on October 13, 2013.

Monica was far more than the circumstances of her death. She was a mother, grandmother, daughter, friend, and confidant who was deeply loved by her family and all who knew her. The pain of losing her has never disappeared, and neither has the trauma left behind by this tragedy.

Today, we ask our community to take a moment to remember Monica. Light a candle in her honor, say her name, and keep her loved ones in your thoughts.

In the hours after Monica's death, police provided the media with a false narrative, claiming she had shot her daughter. That claim remained uncorrected for more than a year.

The reality was very different.
Officers were dispatched to a report that Monica was suicidal. When they arrived, Officer Chad Mowbray shot Monica's 20-year-old daughter, who was outside the home and still on the phone with dispatch, after incorrectly identifying her as the suspect and firing an AR-15 r***e at her.

After hearing those gunshots, Sgt. Mike Keating and Officer Ryan Simpson, the same officer who fatally shot Kathryn Daily in 2009, opened fire on Monica. They later claimed they believed Monica had fired a weapon. Eleven rounds were fired. Seven struck Monica. Four struck her after she had already fallen to the ground.

The reckless shooting of Monica's daughter resulted in a $400,000 taxpayer-funded settlement. Monica's family never filed a wrongful death lawsuit. But no amount of money could undo what happened that day. Those who loved Monica would trade every dollar for the chance to have her back.

Thirteen years later, we remember Monica Ritchey not as a headline or a police narrative, but as a human being whose life mattered, whose family still grieves, and whose story deserves to be remembered.

10/13/2026

A Reno police detective testified that her supervisor told her not to write a report after she confirmed that a man arrested following a facial-recognition match at the Peppermill Resort Spa Casino had been wrongly identified.

Court records show detective Monique Sheahan confirmed in a single day that Jason Killinger was not the person previously barred from the casino. Newly filed evidence in Killinger's federal civil rights lawsuit also includes testimony about the casino's facial-recognition system and a brief from civil rights organizations supporting his claims.

👉 More on This Is Reno: Link in comments ⬇️