Reno Cop Watch

09/07/2026

Esmeralda County residents deserve to know the truth:
Sheriff Julian Melendez has never been legally qualified to hold the office of Sheriff in Nevada & the county only scrambled to fabricate an oath 3 days ago after a public records request exposed it.

Here is what the documents show:
1. Melendez is NOT a Nevada resident and never has been

According to the information provided:
• Melendez lives at 917 Grand View St, Los Angeles, CA
• He has commuted to Nevada for 3.5 years
• He never changed his driver’s license or vehicle registration to Nevada
• Nevada law (NRS 482.385) requires new residents to update license/plates within 30 days

Under NRS 293.1755, a person must be an actual Nevada resident to hold elected office not a “constructive” or part‑time resident. Melendez does not meet that requirement.

2. He was appointed Sheriff while NOT legally eligible

The Esmeralda County BOCC appointed Melendez Sheriff in April 2025.

But voter registration records show:
• Melendez did not register to vote in Nevada until January 31, 2026

Nevada law is explicit:
• NRS 281.040 Only a qualified elector (registered voter) may hold any elected office or position of trust.

Meaning:

➡️ He was not legally eligible to be appointed Sheriff in April 2025.

3. No oath of office was ever recorded until 3 days ago

A FOIA request for:
• Melendez’s appointment documents
• Melendez’s oath of office

Returned the response:

No appointment or oath of office was ever recorded for Melendez’s April 2025 appointment.

Nevada law NRS 282.020 requires:

• Every public officer to take an official oath
• The oath must be recorded
• Without it, the person cannot legally perform the duties of the office

After the FOIA exposed this, JUDGE DANIELLE JOHNSON:
• Created a new oath
• Swore Melendez in retroactively 9/3/2026

This does not cure the fact that he acted as Sheriff for over a year without legal authority.

4. Temporary appointments must meet full qualifications

Nevada law NRS 245.180 states:
• Temporary appointees must qualify in the same manner as the officer they replace
• That includes residency and elector status
• They cannot perform duties until they are properly qualified

Melendez never met those qualifications.

5. The address he claims in Goldfield is fake

The provided information states:

• 100 Silver Street, Goldfield, NV does not exist
• Melendez is staying in a teacher housing unit owned by the school district
• The real location is on Silver Ave, not “Silver Street”
• The claimed address is 100% fabricated

Residency cannot be established using a nonexistent address.

6. This meets the definition of impersonating an officer

Nevada law NRS 199.430 — Impersonation of an Officer:

A person commits a gross misdemeanor if they:
• Falsely personate a public officer
• Assume the uniform or badge without authority
• Perform acts purporting to be official
• Injure or defraud another

Melendez has:
• Worn the uniform
• Used the badge
• Exercised Sheriff authority
• Conducted official acts
• Without ever being legally sworn in or qualified

According to the records provided, he has been impersonating a Sheriff since April 22, 2025.

Based on the information provided:
Julian Melendez has never been a lawful Sheriff in Nevada.

He was:
• Not a Nevada resident
• Not a registered voter
• Not legally eligible for appointment
• Never sworn in
• Never recorded as holding office
• Using a fake Nevada address
• Acting as Sheriff for over a year without legal authority
• Only “sworn in” after a FOIA request exposed the missing oath

This is not a clerical error it is a systemic failure of Esmeralda County government and a potential criminal violation under Nevada law.

09/07/2026

Esmeralda County residents deserve to know the truth:
Sheriff Julian Melendez has never been legally qualified to hold the office of Sheriff in Nevada & the county only scrambled to fabricate an oath 3 days ago after a public records request exposed it.

Here is what the documents show:
1. Melendez is NOT a Nevada resident and never has been

According to the information provided:
• Melendez lives at 917 Grand View St, Los Angeles, CA
• He has commuted to Nevada for 3.5 years
• He never changed his driver’s license or vehicle registration to Nevada
• Nevada law (NRS 482.385) requires new residents to update license/plates within 30 days

Under NRS 293.1755, a person must be an actual Nevada resident to hold elected office not a “constructive” or part‑time resident. Melendez does not meet that requirement.

2. He was appointed Sheriff while NOT legally eligible

The Esmeralda County BOCC appointed Melendez Sheriff in April 2025.

But voter registration records show:
• Melendez did not register to vote in Nevada until January 31, 2026

Nevada law is explicit:
• NRS 281.040 Only a qualified elector (registered voter) may hold any elected office or position of trust.

Meaning:

➡️ He was not legally eligible to be appointed Sheriff in April 2025.

3. No oath of office was ever recorded until 3 days ago

A FOIA request for:
• Melendez’s appointment documents
• Melendez’s oath of office

Returned the response:

No appointment or oath of office was ever recorded for Melendez’s April 2025 appointment.

Nevada law NRS 282.020 requires:

• Every public officer to take an official oath
• The oath must be recorded
• Without it, the person cannot legally perform the duties of the office

After the FOIA exposed this, JUDGE DANIELLE JOHNSON:
• Created a new oath
• Swore Melendez in retroactively 9/3/2026

This does not cure the fact that he acted as Sheriff for over a year without legal authority.

4. Temporary appointments must meet full qualifications

Nevada law NRS 245.180 states:
• Temporary appointees must qualify in the same manner as the officer they replace
• That includes residency and elector status
• They cannot perform duties until they are properly qualified

Melendez never met those qualifications.

5. The address he claims in Goldfield is fake

The provided information states:

• 100 Silver Street, Goldfield, NV does not exist
• Melendez is staying in a teacher housing unit owned by the school district
• The real location is on Silver Ave, not “Silver Street”
• The claimed address is 100% fabricated

Residency cannot be established using a nonexistent address.

6. This meets the definition of impersonating an officer

Nevada law NRS 199.430 — Impersonation of an Officer:

A person commits a gross misdemeanor if they:
• Falsely personate a public officer
• Assume the uniform or badge without authority
• Perform acts purporting to be official
• Injure or defraud another

Melendez has:
• Worn the uniform
• Used the badge
• Exercised Sheriff authority
• Conducted official acts
• Without ever being legally sworn in or qualified

According to the records provided, he has been impersonating a Sheriff since April 22, 2025.

Based on the information provided:
Julian Melendez has never been a lawful Sheriff in Nevada.

He was:
• Not a Nevada resident
• Not a registered voter
• Not legally eligible for appointment
• Never sworn in
• Never recorded as holding office
• Using a fake Nevada address
• Acting as Sheriff for over a year without legal authority
• Only “sworn in” after a FOIA request exposed the missing oath

This is not a clerical error it is a systemic failure of Esmeralda County government and a potential criminal violation under Nevada law.

09/07/2026

Lyon County's sheriff Brad”No Hope” Pope, told local television that Chris Nixon had misled the public by omitting the first five minutes of BWC footage of the egregious assault committed on him by Deputy Ian Foster & Trevor Bond, and said he fully supports his deputies' actions.

Unpack what that withheld footage actually establishes -- what the deputies knew at the moment they escalated, whether the orders given were lawful ones a citizen must obey, and whether the force that followed meets the objective reasonableness standard the Fourth Amendment applies to it, against what the sheriff claimed it showed.

Lyon County's sheriff told local television that Chris Nixon had mi...

09/06/2026

Reno Cop Watch has received new information from concerned community members regarding Deputy Hazel Duran (Washoe County Sheriff’s Office) and Deputy Anna Martinez (Carson City Sheriff’s Office), information that raises significant questions about professional boundaries, conflicts of interest, and fairness in an active criminal case.

According to the community members:
• Hazel Duran has a history of cheating on her spouse, including during the period when her husband, Guillermo Duran, was was hit with false charges
• Anna Martinez is on the other side of the coin, she has allegedly been the mistress to a married man, a situation that recently led to her resignation from Carson City Sheriff’s Office after misusing the FLOCK license plate reader system for personal reasons.
•It has also been confirmed that Deputy Anna Martinez is married to another Carson City Sheriff’s Office deputy, Angel Meza Marquez, adding another layer of complexity to the situation.
• Hazel and Anna are described as long‑time best friends who have worked together in the past and maintained a close relationship.
• The community member alleges that Anna provided Hazel with information about Hazel’s ex‑husband, who is currently incarcerated at the Carson facility including the possibility that video calls were shared between them.

These personal entanglements matter because Hazel’s ex-husband, Guillermo, has been incarcerated since November of last year for something the community member insists he did not do, and that the state has no evidence for. His December court date will determine whether the truth finally comes out but the circumstances surrounding Hazel and Anna’s conduct raise legitimate concerns about whether personal relationships have influenced how this case has been handled.

When deputies with documented personal misconduct and close personal ties are connected to a case involving one of their spouses:
• Impartiality is compromised.
• Professional boundaries are blurred.
• Public trust is damaged.
• The fairness of the process becomes questionable.

If information was shared between deputies about an inmate especially one tied to their personal lives the public deserves to know whether policies were violated, whether oversight occurred, and whether this contributed to the injustice Guillermo is experiencing.

We are calling for the following
• Independent review of communications between Washoe County and Carson City deputies.
• Verification that no personal relationship influenced the handling of Guillermo Duran’s case.
• Transparency from both agencies regarding any internal investigations.
• Clear accountability for misuse of surveillance systems and improper information sharing.

This information was shared by a concerned community member not to convict anyone in the court of public opinion, but to demand transparency, fairness, and accountability in a case where a man has been suffering behind bars for nearly a year with no evidence presented against him.

Law enforcement agencies must ensure that personal misconduct by deputies is not shaping legal outcomes.

When deputies with personal ties are involved in cases affecting one another’s family members, public confidence in impartiality and due process is at risk.

If information was shared between agencies or individuals outside official channels, it undermines both transparency and fairness.

09/06/2026

Reno Cop Watch has received new information from concerned community members regarding Deputy Hazel Duran (Washoe County Sheriff’s Office) and Deputy Anna Martinez (Carson City Sheriff’s Office), information that raises significant questions about professional boundaries, conflicts of interest, and fairness in an active criminal case.

According to the community members:
• Hazel Duran has a history of cheating on her spouse, including during the period when her husband, Guillermo Duran, was was hit with false charges
• Anna Martinez is the opposite side of the coin as she has allegedly been the mistress to a married man, a situation that recently led to her resignation from Carson City Sheriff’s Office after misusing the FLOCK license plate reader system for personal reasons.
•It has also been confirmed that Deputy Anna Martinez is married to another Carson City Sheriff’s Office deputy, Angel Meza Marquez, adding another layer of complexity to the situation.
•Martinez was exposed by Auditing Reno 911 for interfering with freedom of the press in a public setting, at a park in Carson City.
• Hazel and Anna are described as long‑time best friends who have worked together in the past and maintained a close relationship.
• The community members allege that Anna provided Hazel with information about Hazel’s ex‑husband, who is currently incarcerated at the Carson facility including the possibility that video calls were shared between them.

These personal entanglements matter because Hazel’s ex-husband, Guillermo, has been incarcerated since November of last year for something the community members insists he did not do, and that the state has no evidence for. his December court date will determine whether the truth finally comes out, but the circumstances surrounding Hazel and Anna’s conduct raise legitimate concerns about whether personal relationships have influenced how this case has been handled.

When deputies with documented personal misconduct and close personal ties are connected to a case involving one of their spouses:
• Impartiality is compromised.
• Professional boundaries are blurred.
• Public trust is damaged.
• The fairness of the process becomes questionable.

If information was shared between deputies about an inmate especially one tied to their personal lives the public deserves to know whether policies were violated, whether oversight occurred, and whether this contributed to the injustice Guillermo is experiencing.

We are calling for the following
• Independent review of communications between Washoe County and Carson City deputies.
• Verification that no personal relationship influenced the handling of Guillermo Duran’s case.
• Transparency from both agencies regarding any internal investigations.
• Clear accountability for misuse of surveillance systems and improper information sharing.

This information was shared by a concerned community member not to convict anyone in the court of public opinion, but to demand transparency, fairness, and accountability in a case where a man has been suffering behind bars for nearly a year with no evidence presented against him.

Law enforcement agencies must ensure that personal misconduct by deputies is not shaping legal outcomes.

When deputies with personal ties are involved in cases affecting one another’s family members, public confidence in impartiality and due process is at risk.

If information was shared between agencies or individuals outside official channels, it undermines both transparency and fairness.

09/06/2026

15 years ago, yesterday 09/05/2011 30 year old Greg Larson was shot and killed by then Reno PD Detective Sean Garlock after Greg allegedly fired a round. Garlock was investigating a shooting that took place shortly

After the department’s recent command staff fiasco, a collapse of leadership marked by internal turmoil, resignations, and public distrust the City of Reno brought Sean Garlock back to lead the department.

For decades, Washoe County has operated under a protocol that pretends to be independent. This structure has produced a perfect record not of accountability, but of absolution.

Under former DA Richard “Dirty Dick” Gammick, and then his protege Chris Hicks every single police killing was stamped “justified.”Not one ever ruled unjustified.

The Chief of RPD at the time, Steve Pitts, claimed to the media that a witness was on the phone with Greg when he was shot and that Greg had said "cops were looking for him and if they stopped him, he was going to kill them ... a cop is behind me, here it goes,". What he actually told police was “Taylor told LARSON to leave the area and LARSON said, "F**k it" and then the phone disconnected and he did not talk or text with LARSON again.

When the same circle of agencies investigates each other, the public is not seeing oversight they’re seeing choreography.

The OIS protocol already gives the appearance of impropriety which is exactly why Washoe County needs a civilian review board with actual independence and subpoena powe

09/05/2026

The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office is in dire need of new leadership ….and several of Brad Pope’s deputies now agree.

The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office is facing new allegations of retaliation, favoritism, and internal misconduct and they involve Deputy Trevor Bonds, the same deputy seen in the viral video assaulting Chris Nixon.

According to multiple deputies, Bonds recently filed a complaint against Deputy Hannah Gray and Sgt. Shane Joyner, citing an inappropriate sexual relationship and repeated failures by Gray to respond to calls while on duty.

Immediately afterward, Gray filed a retaliatory claim accusing Bonds of mental instability. Inand removed him from becoming the next K9 handler, despite labeling the leave “non‑punitive.” Gray was never investigated and remains on duty.

Deputies say Gray’s protection stems from her father, former Senator Ken Gray, a political supporter of Sheriff Brad Pope. Bonds’ grievance requesting reinstatement and an investigation into retaliation was denied. HR is now forcing him to use his FMLA early, leaving him no leave available when his child arrives a move other deputies describe as punishment disguised as policy. It’s also alleged she resigned from Sparks PD for attempting to have sexual relations with Supervisors.

If Bonds were going to be disciplined for anything, it should have been the assault on Chris Nixon, not for reporting behavior unbecoming of a deputy.

Inside the jail, numerous employees are preparing grievances over hostile working conditions, retaliation, and staffing failures. Deputies report being overworked, understaffed, and having vacations cancelled while leadership dismisses concerns. Commander Powell has reportedly been told about deputies resigning and responded that he “did not care,” further fueling claims of indifference and neglect from command staff.

Additional allegations involve Sgt. Mark Kosak, who deputies say was connected to a murder‑suicide involving an affair and was not investigated. Kosak also allegedly impregnated a student while serving as a school resource officer in Yerington, buried the miscarried fetus in his yard, and was still hired by LCSO and placed back in a school resource role.

These accounts paint a picture of a department where retaliation is normalized, political favoritism overrides accountability, and misconduct goes unchecked reinforcing why community oversight is essential.

09/05/2026

09/04/2026 marked 3 years since Sherman Crutcher was shot and killed by Reno Police while possessing a knife. 3 years later, the public still does not know the names of the officers involved an extraordinary failure of transparency for a fatal use of force. LVMPD typically releases the officer names within 48 hours.

Washoe County’s “Regional Officer‑Involved Shooting Protocol” rotates investigations between RPD, SPD, and WCSO.
Law enforcement investigating law enforcement. A closed circle that looks independent but isn’t.

This structure creates the appearance of oversight while keeping every critical decision inside the same network of agencies. Appearance is everything especially when accountability could expose systemic failures.

09/05/2026

We received information from a concerned community member regarding Carson City Sheriff’s Office deputy Anna Martinez’s resignation connected to alleged misuse of the FLOCK license plate reader system for personal purposes…allegedly tracking a married man she was having an affair with. Sounds like Martinez and Washoe Deputy Hazel Duran would get along really well…