From October 24, 2022, through October 31, 2022, the Nevada State Police Parole and Probation Division in Reno and Las Vegas conducted Operation Scarecrow.
Operation Scarecrow is conducted annually during the Halloween season to ensure sex offenders are in compliance with Nevada sex offender registration laws by verifying they are residing at their registered address.
Many Tier 3 sex offenders under the supervision of the Parole and Probation Division have restrictions regarding contact with children.
These offenders are given restrictions during the Halloween season to not participate in certain Halloween traditions; most notably, they are not handing out candy to children on Halloween.
Officers completed home visits on many of these cases to monitor compliance with these restrictions.
In addition, during Halloween, there are many family-oriented community events. The Parole and Probation Division in Las Vegas deployed officers to these events throughout the valley for surveillance purposes to ensure sex offenders under supervision were not in attendance.
In Las Vegas, the Nevada State Police, with assistance from the US Marshals Service, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, North Las Vegas Police Department, and Henderson Police Department, attempted home visits on over 600 sex offenders and attended eight individual community events.
Las Vegas Operation Scarecrow results:
- Home contacts 147
- Home Contact Attempts 312
- Collateral Contacts 167
- Residence Verifications 345
- Surveillances 20
- Sex offenders found to be in non-compliance 8
In Reno, the Nevada State Police, with assistance from the Regional Sex Offender Notification Unit (comprised of Investigators from the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, Reno Police Department, and Sparks Police Department), attempted home visits on over 300 sex offenders.
Reno Operation Scarecrow results:
- Home contacts 189
- Home Contact Attempts 124
- Residence Verifications 260
- Surveillances 42
- Sex offenders found to be in non-compliance 8
Individuals found to be in non-compliance with registration laws will be classified as non-compliant with the Sex Offender Registry and shall promptly be charged for registration violations with warrants issued for their arrest.
Offenders violating Halloween restrictions will be assessed case by case for an appropriate sanction.
“Operation Scarecrow is one of our longest-running operations and has been a success for the Nevada State Police Parole and Probation Division. The public expects us to be out there during this time, protecting the community,” said Nevada State Police Parole and Probation Major James Shubert.
“We have seen a steady decline in non-compliance even with the increase in the number of compliance checks. A decline in non-compliance is what we want to see; it means we are positively impacting public safety. We will continue to be dedicated to fulfilling our mission to safeguard Nevada.”
