Unveiling the cold truth at CARES
Apparently, it is easy to get lost in the bureaucracy of the homeless industry in Washoe County, yet harder to be found. Despite setbacks and threats of arrest, a local private investigator does not take it lying down. This story is about the fight to find a loved one against what has become a veil of secrecy and out-of-control spending at one of the largest shelters on the west coast. Picon is dying to know, what is the county so afraid of?
The Gap between Homelessness and Mental Illness
Tom Green is a retired cop turned private investigator. He has done work for Picon, we are familiar with him. Mr. Green seems to know most of Reno and Sparks and he is generally a gregarious man with a soft spot for sad cases. When we caught wind of this story, we knew it needed to be told and we conducted an extensive interview with Green.
Green, recently retained by two different parties to find missing loved ones, is not new to this seek. “Often, the mentally ill and unmedicated homeless have loved ones seeking their whereabouts and what they face is resistance from local law enforcement and a wall of silence from the county’s homeless shelter.” This is where Green comes in and how he ran afoul of the county’s homeless industrial complex.
Last year, Green helped a man get reunited with his mother in Oregon. Green still stays in touch with the man on Facebook. He said that he spent days chasing this man around town. “He had been at the CARES campus, I knew that. However, after being kicked out for outbursts, he was on the streets. I finally caught up with him at the Target in South Reno. In one night, I spoke with eight different homeless individuals who live in and around Target. It was shocking,” says Green, a retired Chief Deputy Sheriff with more than 26 years of experience. Green cites this as an example of the cracks in the system, where the mentally ill, when unmedicated, find themselves kicked out of the “no barrier” shelter.
In his time around the shelters, both as a cop and as a private detective, the lack of true help for these people has been frustrating to him. “If you are severely mentally ill, using substances then the chances you can stay at the shelter are really diminished. They have some rules and if you can’t keep your hands to yourself and control things you say, you can’t stay there,” according to Green. In turn, Green has found that many of the most severely mentally ill simply are discarded to the sidewalk outside the CARES campus. Green believes the police and courts need to fill the void, “by enforcing laws and compelling the arrestee to programs, and other supervision that requires compliance with meds and laws, is the missing ingredient.”
Picon has spent some time around the complex and there are camps on the sidewalk and a short walking distance along Sage Street and the railroad tracks. On any given day, mentally ill men and women can be seen on the sidewalk, in the street and loitering about Line Drive. Police presence around the campus seems non-existent. Picon has reported on the lawlessness at the campus in the past.
A man missing for 2 years
One of the missing persons Green was seeking has not been heard from for two years. His friend knows he was alive six-months ago, because his mail comes to her address. She is his responsible person for finances and such, explained Green. Not only does she have his mail, she has his money. Enough money to pay for an apartment and to clothe and feed him. Green says that many of the homeless qualify for a variety of benefits, yet connecting them with their resources and keeping in contact is a challenge. “In this case, the man I seek is schizophrenic and uses substances. He believes his friend is out to get him. In reality, she wants to help him. It’s my job to try and find him and reason with him,” said Green.
Why do these families need private assistance, why can they not just call the police and file a report? Green explained that while that sounds logical, it's not always practical. “It is not a crime or a police matter for an adult to choose to be homeless, not contact their families, and to generally disappear. In fact, unless you can explain a danger to themselves or that they are suicidal, there is not much the police can do.” The police are also stretched thin with crime and other matters that take away from the time needed to gumshoe around town.
Green has had mixed results with the county’s shelter. “Depends on who I can sweet-talk,” laughed Green. He claims to have had success with certain people who know why he is seeking the information. “The CARES campus has always been willing to at least take my flyer and ask the person to contact me,” said Green. That all changed last Friday evening. Now Green cannot even walk to the guard shack.
According to Green, the shelter is prohibited from releasing information about residents there. While Green appreciates the need for some anonymity, he also is critical of the lack of consistent messaging. “I am trying to find this person's loved one and the upside is the families often offer to connect them with resources, which would lessen the taxpayer's burden,” claimed Green.
Allegations of trespassing and unmarked boundaries
On Friday, January 26, 2024, Green was down at the campus looking for his man. That is when the trouble began to brew for the PI. Green explained that he had been milling around Line Drive and East 4th Street, showing anyone he could pictures of his missing man. A few days prior, a security guard had nodded affirmatively to Green that his man was staying at the campus. Green explained that if he talks to the right person, often he gets hints as to whether they are present or not. He has other sources in the county that have helped him as well. “When people know my purpose, they may bend the rules a bit for the greater good,” said Green.
Line Drive is a public roadway that runs north off East 4th Street. The short street is home to several businesses, yet the main draw is the county’s homeless shelter. About 150 yards from East 4th is a metal security shack. The shack sits in the roadway, hugging the curb on the east side of Line Drive. A gate, which is opened and closed by hand, is how cars enter the CARES campus. This gate is manned by security guards hired by the county. The other side of the shack abuts the sidewalk, with no such closed gate. There is no signage warning against entry or any restrictions on the access. Picon has observed people come and go on the sidewalk side without being checked. On this day, Green asked about access down the road, beyond the shack and was told by a security staff that it was public property, he was free to walk as far as the welcoming center.
The guard shack sits just to the right of 008-542-02, which is a private parcel. The welcoming center is out of view at the dead end of Line Drive.
According to Green, “I walked down the sidewalk to the welcoming center. Another security officer claimed I could not be there. She sent her supervisor out, a man named CJ, who is the site security manager. I explained to CJ what the other guard said about public property. CJ claimed it was private property, I could walk around there, I just could not loiter in one place.” Green said he was confused by this and believed he was on public property. Green said he even called the assessor's office and according to their records, Line Drive was a dedicated public roadway.
Green recorded himself asking a new security officer at the entyrance if he was prohibited from being on the sidewalk between the shack and the welcome center and she said he was not. In that video, Green is clearly seen beyond the shack toward the welcome center and the security evidently cleared him to be there. Green said he left shortly after this video to attend to other matters with plans to come back after dark.
A couple hours later, Green returned with Commissioner Mike Clark, who was interested in seeing the goings on in the evening and the two had plans after seeing the campus. Green said, “We are almost immediately asked to leave the parking lot of the new resource center, despite no signage and no gate.” According to Green, he and Clark then walked into the public street and onto the sidewalk toward the guard shack. “As we got to the shack, on the sidewalk, a security guard blocked the sidewalk and refused to let us pass,” Green said.
The pedestrian entrance follows the sidewalk in the image to the left. Green explains he got as far as the guard shack before the sidewalk was blocked by security. Picon also notes there is no signage restricting access. The painted crosswalk in the road is what Green says the security staff deems the private property to begin. Security staff told Green, in a video he recorded, that even the Reno Police could not come past the crosswalk without a warrant.
According to Green, he explained to the guard about his previous entry and the permissiveness of the earlier shift. Green also argued that because there are private property owners along Line Drive, beyond the shack, the county cannot deny access. “I was in shock, here I am being denied access to a sidewalk and street, absent any signage or notice. Last I checked this is America and my tax dollars funded this public space,” Green claimed.
During the exchange, Green said the security guard claimed to not care what happens just feet away on the street, as Green pointed out crimes he has seen occurring. Green told Picon, “During my earlier visit, I witnessed the aftermath of a mentally ill white man who called a black man the N word. The black man beat the man and forced him to kneel and bow to his feet while apologizing. When I asked security staff if they were calling the police, they said he deserved what he got and they would not call.” According to Green, crime is common on the sidewalk and street. “The county has created a jurisdictional juggernaut, one part of the sidewalk is county property, the other is the city of Reno. Part of the street is Reno and now part is county. The result is almost no proactive policing in the entire area surrounding the campus,” laments Green. The results of what Green claims seems to foster an area of lawlessness and danger to vulnerable mentally ill homeless.
This image, sent in by a reader, depicts the aftermath of a fight at Line Drive and East 4th Street. Despite seeing the fight, our reader claims no one from CARES came out to intervene. These scenes happen daily, including indecent exposure and smoking marijuana.
Part of the confrontation Green had surrounded jurisdiction. “If the county is going to claim an area is off-limits to the public, it needs to be marked as such. When I was told I was trespassing, the security guard pointed to a painted crosswalk across Line Drive. That imaginary boundary, according to him, is the private property mark, for which I could not cross,” said Green. According to Green, he demanded law enforcement come to the campus and advise him he was on private land, “Then I spoke with the Sheriff’s sergeant on the phone, I explained where I was standing and he said that was City of Reno and they wouldn’t even respond.” The confluence of private property owners and city and county boundaries in such a small space spells trouble for people like Green as well the many victims of crime. How is one to know that ten feet in either direction will send one into the abyss of who will come when you call the police dispatch?
After cooler heads prevailed, the security supervisor assured Green that he was not trespassed and the two exchanged laughs. Green is heard apologizing to the man and reaffirming his displeasure with one security guard on a video recording of Green and Commissioner Clark leaving. The video is clear to us, Mr. Green was not issued a trespass nor was he escorted away, as later claimed. Green said and Clark then went for a drink and bite to eat.
Threats of arrest and leaked documents
This whole event might have ended there, however apparently someone at the Sheriff’s Office leaked a police synopsis of the event, painting a much different scenario of the interplay with Green. According to Green, this is a passdown document, prepared by supervisors that explains the notable calls from the shift. That leaked narrative claims that Mr. Green is “now eligible to be arrested for trespassing.”
According to Green and in our review of the video, Green never went past the guard shack. The edge of the shack is seen in the right corner of the image. This is a screenshot from a video Green recorded.
As of Friday, a week after the event, Green claims no one has asked him his side of the story. “I did get a call the next day, asking if I wanted to file a report against the security guard,” which Green said he declined to do. “I have to assume the Sheriff’s Office took a report and statements from the security staff,” Green theorized, however neither he nor Clark have been officially asked to give their version of the events. Green claims he has several public records requests pending and that depending on the content of those requests he will decide whether to pursue legal remedies. “A private security guard does not get to trespass citizens from public property that has no signs, fencing or other measures to keep the public out when the citizen has committed no crime. This is a clear liberty issue, hence why I wanted the Sheriff’s Office to respond and determine whether the sidewalk was private property or public.” Green assured Picon he would have left the area had a government official ordered him to.
“Apparently we skip the notion of a citation now, its right to arrest for the dissidents,” laughed Green. He explained that he loved his work with the Sheriff’s Office and the people, however following retirement and his work as a PI, he has seen another side of government. “Transparency and common courtesy seem to have left the building,” said Green. He acknowledged his lens is different now, however he respects the line staff and what they do. “My issues with leadership is in no way a critique of the men and women managing the jail, serving civil, responding to calls, and investigating crimes,” Green said.
This is a screen shot of the leaked narrative sent about Green. We have yet to confirm this was authored by the Sheriff’s Office, however Green believes this is consistent with a shift passdown, or a text message to executive staff.
Picon also spoke with Commissioner Clark, who said, “Tom was confronted by a security guard who escalated the situation and was inappropriate given the circumstances.” Clark confirmed the two never went past the security shack and that there was no signage and no notice. Clark continued, “As a sitting commissioner I am not allowed to see what the county has spent over 100 million dollars on, unless I get prior permission and a minder to escort me.” Clark also laughed at the claim that Green was escorted off property, “Tom was joking with the staff and we left of our own accord. There was no animosity, and he certainly was not escorted anywhere.” Clark also said, “Tom is a law-abiding citizen who served this county for 25 years, the county refuses to enforce laws at CARES unless it's against someone like Tom.”
Today versus a decade ago
Back when Private Investigator Tom Green was working for the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, homelessness was a problem, yet it was not the burden it is today, Green reflected. “Back in 2010, I was a Sergeant in the jail. Reno Police had a paddy wagon and they would go out and arrest the chronic inebriants every night. We would have them for trespassing, open container and civil protective custody. The CPC’s were often long-term homeless, and we all got to know them. It was their lifestyle.” Reno Police now face an explosion of the homeless, yet they have no paddy wagon, they enforce many less quality of life issues and the Civil Protective Custody detentions are way down.
Green said he is shocked by the lack of enforcement of quality of life issues. “Even given the terrible Boise decision by the 9th circuit, jurisdictions have found creative ways to prevent their cities from devolving into lawlessness,” Green claims. The decision Green cites is a case against police in Boise, Idaho which essentially allows camping along sidewalks, streets and parks unless the county has alternative accommodations. The case handcuffed the police from enforcing public vagrancy laws. Some jurisdictions have outright ignored the case and are seeking the Supreme Court to reverse course, either by brief or by forcing the issue with a case. The County appears content with the case, they recently cited it as the basis for more building, more money and more staff in a presentation about the CARES campus.
The county used the Boise matter to build one of the largest shelters on the West Coast. Green and others claim the more resources provided, the more homelessness is being incentivized. Not unsympathetic to the challenges facing the homeless in Reno’s economy and housing situation, Green also contends progressive policies are to blame, “The city of Reno has been operating in a fantasy utopia where leadership barred the police from enforcing the law and the Mayor planted the welcome flag.” Green sees these policies as driver to homelessness in Reno. “If you think the chronically homeless don’t know Reno is rife for benefits and freedoms, you have your head in the sand,” said Green.
The County’s complex where they have expanded the homeless housing. The tent in the backdrop is the shelter.
Did closing motels contribute to the problem?
Green was also critical of the closure of the motels. Green acknowledged they were old and dirty, however a dry space, with heat and a toilet is infinitely better than the alternative. He cited the demolition of the Golden West motel, accusing the city of pandering to casinos and donors. “Why didn’t the city pony up some money to renovate and make affordable housing? Instead they spent our tax money to pretty it up for the next development,” he said. Green also believes the City has duped the county into taking over a mess. Green cited the lack of homeless in midtown. “I sure don’t see tents and sleeping bags in midtown, why is that?” Green wondered. He is referring to the counties takeover of the CARES campus which has reportedly been a strain on law enforcement resources. According to Green, on any given evening there might be 7-10 deputies on patrol and none of the patrol beats are near the CARES campus. “What the public does not know, is when you have two deputies respond to the CARES campus, you have no policing occurring in Cold Springs, Spanish Springs, Hidden Valley, Washoe Valley or Verdi. They are busy enough, then to be saddled with the campus is ridiculous,” he claims.
Railroads and End of the World
The railroad right of way in Reno was always maintained when Green was coming in law enforcement. Green said what are now extensive camps within feet of the railroads were non-existent just ten years ago. The problem is now so pervasive that railroad police are unable to enforce any trespass laws. According to a well-placed person at Union Pacific, they have no ongoing support from law enforcement. The source said that while the police show up for the photo-op clean up, as soon that is over the people cut the fences and move right back. There is no enforcement of clear trespassing on private property along the railroad. Green warned, “As a detective I saw terrible accidents involving trains and people and dogs. It is always unsafe to be on the railroad sidings and it used to be enforced.”
Camps along the rail siding in Reno.
Green isn’t new to the controversy with the homeless. Back in 2018, Green took Assistant County Manager Kate Thomas to see “end of the world”, a homeless camp near Vista in Sparks. At the time, Ms. Thomas wanted to better understand the situation, especially after a kerfuffle between Sparks Police and Washoe County. Green expounded, “At the time the Sparks PD was pushing homeless out of the city and the homeless found refuge along the river near Vista. The land, which is sandwiched between I-80 and Storey County is a mixed ownership. The parcels are owned by Sparks, BLM, Union Pacific and the state for freeway easement. So who is going to enforce the laws there?” Green asked.
Green provided this email, which shows he was in fact in the loop with the End of the World camp issues.
End of the World camp appears to sit in an area outside Washoe County property limits. This near Vista in Sparks. The area is highlighted with an arrow.
Excerpt from the Homeless Advisory Board in 2020. The End of the World Camp issues are noted here. Only 2 were moved to housing, the remainder were just dispersed somewhere else.
Where does he stand now?
Green, who in full disclosure has done work for Picon, wonders how this will all end up. Green said he and his friend were on Line Drive on Wednesday to document the lack of signage, lawlessness, and hypocrisy. Despite numerous attempts to get security's attention and explain whether he was allowed past the painted crosswalk, no one would talk to Green. Instead, Green saw free phones being given out by persons not wearing any identification cards. Their vehicle was parked in a red zone under a sign that says “No Parking” and his associate, who was filming was verbally accosted by a mentally ill man. Apparently, none of that caused security any concern, instead they allegedly called the police because Green was in the vicinity of the campus.
Green has public records requests pending for Wednesday as well, to verify what his sources have told him. “If true, this is clear evidence the county is seeking to harm my business, my reputation and to force my silence. I refuse to cower to these tyrants, I have broken no laws,” explained Green. Green has gotten one request back, a denial for the video from the Count’s camera that would show the Sheriff’s narrative is factually incorrect.
Picon wonders, with all the overlooked crime and lack of enforcement of clear trespassing, why did Green garner the ire of the Sheriff and County Management. In response Green thinks, “I speak my mind and I do not lie. When I see malfeasance, I call it out. The county does not appreciate that, especially when I expose what is occurring at their number one spending project. They must protect their project and this is just a feeble attempt to make me go away.” Green says that although he dropped out of his earlier bid for County Commissioner, his future is not free of political aspirations. “This county needs leadership that puts citizens first and quality of life issues on the front burner. We need elected officials who worry about us first, instead of doting on their donors. I will weigh my strengths and what I could bring to local governance,” he said. In the meantime, Green plans to find his missing men and provide their families with some answers. He said he has no plans to cross the alleged boundary of the CARES campus unless or until the County officially explains its position. We think that is a wise idea.
Picon has asked the County, the Sheriff, VOA, Allied Universal and Reno Police for comment. As of publishing none of gotten back to us.