Was Washoe County Cleaning Up the Streets — or Just Its Image?

A few seniors sent us photos during the Reno Rodeo when the Sheriffs Department and Washoe County employees were patrolling the sidewalk homeless encampments outside the 9th Street Senior Center.

As cowboys, rodeo fans, and tourists poured into Reno for the annual Reno Rodeo, some local seniors at the 9th Street Senior Center were witnessing a different kind of roundup — one that has nothing to do with bucking broncos or barrel racing.

According to several residents who frequent the center, during the rodeo brought an unusual level of law enforcement activity to their street. Seniors say sheriff’s deputies and county employees were patrolling the area immediately outside the county fence that encloses the senior center and adjacent county facilities — an area long known to be an unofficial campsite for people experiencing homelessness.

But during the rodeo, that changed.

“They were just suddenly there,” said one senior, who asked to remain anonymous out of concern for retaliation. “Walking the fence line, telling people to move along. I’ve never seen that level of patrol out here — not until the tourists started arriving.”

This sudden uptick in patrols has led to questions about intent. Was this a response to a safety threat, or something more cosmetic? To the seniors who’ve watched the ebb and flow of the street’s homeless population for years, the timing doesn’t feel like a coincidence.

“It’s like they wanted to clean up the block for the rodeo,” another senior said. “Make it look like there aren’t any problems here.”

And for those familiar with the reputation management strategies that often accompany high-profile events in urban areas, the suspicion isn’t far-fetched. Across the country, cities have been known to “sweep” unhoused populations ahead of conventions, sporting events, and festivals — not necessarily to connect them to services, but to move them out of view.

The 9th Street Senior Center sits beside the county complex that’s become a de facto refuge for senior homeless with nowhere else to go. In the absence of sufficient shelter space or permanent supportive housing, encampments have sprouted and persisted. County officials may not advertise the arrangement, but they’ve long tolerated it.

Until now?

What’s changed? The rodeo’s in town. That’s it. If this was about public safety or service outreach, where were those deputies last month? Where will they be next month?

Picon Press reached out to the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office for comment on the nature of the patrols and whether this was part of a larger enforcement or outreach strategy. As of press time, no comment was received.

The incident adds to a growing sense of distrust among those who say the county’s homelessness response is more public relations than actual solutions.

Washoe County has touted recent investments in shelter expansion and support services — but critics point to persistent street homelessness, growing encampments, and inconsistent enforcement as signs that efforts are falling short.

“You can’t police your way out of homelessness,” said a Sheriff’s Deputy who asked to remain anonymous. “And you can’t pretend to solve it just because tourists are watching.”

For the seniors at 9th Street, the sense of disillusionment is palpable. They live with the reality every day — watching both the struggles of their unhoused neighbors and the county’s sporadic attempts to hide the problem rather than fix it.

As the rodeo dust settles and attention turns elsewhere, those who live near the margins — and those who live beside them — are left wondering: was this just a show for the out-of-towners? Or is Washoe County going to continue to patrol the 9th Street Senior Center. Even when no one’s watching?