Reno, Nevada

Reno Police Badge

Site LE Agency
Reno Police Department

Site Researcher
Emmanuel Barthe, Ph.D., University of Nevada, Reno & Weston Morrow, Ph.D., University of Nevada, Reno

Site Focus
Gun violence

SPI Strategy
Outreach and collaboration, Focused deterrence, Problem-oriented policing, Technology implementation

Site Cohort
2018

Site Profile
Mid-sized urban area of 105.9 sq. miles with a population of 248,853

Project Overview

In Reno, there are several known hotspots that serve as the primary driving force behind the increase in violent crimes involving firearms. The Reno Police Department, in conjunction with researchers at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), seek to alleviate the adverse effects of these firearm-related crimes on the community and enhance public safety through innovation and evidence-based crime-control strategies. The multifaceted crime-control strategy to reduce firearm-related crime revolves around pulling levers, problem-oriented policing, crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED), surveillance, technology, educational campaigns against gun violence, and a gun buyback program. Using a quasi-experimental design, several police beats will be selected as potential localities for intervention. The police beats selected as the treatment groups will implement the crime-control strategy to reduce firearm-related violence, whereas the control beats will not receive the intervention. If the intervention is effective, the crime-control strategy may be instructive for other police departments experiencing similar increases in firearm-related crime in their city.

Methods and Findings

  • From 2013 to 2017, the city of Reno, Nevada experienced a 152.6 percent increase in battery, 128.6 percent increase in homicides, 119.6 percent increase in shootings, 65.8 percent increase in robberies, and 63.3 percent increase in assaults, all involving firearms.