Reno Police Department begins transition to Public Safety Center

RENO, Nev. (KOLO) - Reno police are getting a much-needed upgrade to their station headquarters, but the main goal of the new facility is to work together with the community.

KOLO 8, along with other media outlets, was given the first look inside the new building before construction starts this fall.

“We’re super excited and very happy that we have this opportunity in front of us.”

The Reno Police Department will soon be known as the city’s Public Safety Center.

“To see it come to fruition is truly pretty incredible,” Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve said.

The current police station, located at 455 E. Second St. downtown was built in 1947 to house less than 50 officers at the time.

“It’s extremely outdated, there’s a lot of problems in terms of size, there’s just not enough space, plumbing, wiring, asbestos, it’s just a very very old building,” Jason Soto, Reno Police Chief said.

The new, centrally located, approximately 144,500 square foot facility is taking over the old Reno Gazette-Journal, located at 911 Kuenzli St. This will help our men and women in blue to better protect and serve northern Nevadans.

Mayor Schieve added, “It’s going to offer so many services that we have not been able to offer for so many years and I think that that’s really been unfair to the community.”

“Let’s make it all about the public and make sure they have a safe place to go so we can have those interactions to make sure we are the best city in the world, and that’s what I believe we really are,” Reno City Councilmember Oscar Delgado said.

With this remodel, Chief Soto says officers, dispatch, evidence storage, and citizen engagement will all be under one roof.

“We want to integrate our community into our police department.”

The $34.5 million project is a three-phase process, set to start in August 2021 and finish in August 2024. Leaders say this wouldn’t be possible without grant funding from the William N. Pennington Foundation.

As for the current police station, city staff has not yet decided what that building will be used for after the full transition.

Copyright 2021 KOLO. All rights reserved.