The University Police Department Northern Command (UPDNC) addressed tailgate concerns in their presentation to the Associated Students of the University of Nevada (ASUN) at their senate meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 7.
“You may see a heavier [law enforcement] presence at the next tailgate,” UPDNC Deputy Chief Josh Reynolds said.
Reynolds said he doesn’t want students to lose tailgates, but the police are concerned about safety after noticing an escalation of tailgate-related incidents within the past year.
UPDNC said the latest tailgate on Sept. 26 for “Air Force Saturday” had the most citations reported so far this semester.
“The first two tailgates were okay. The last game, it was a madhouse,” Reynolds said. “Officers were just going from one call to the next.”
ASUN Vice President Luke Calderon said that there were zero citations filed in the first two tailgates this year.
Calderon reported that at the last tailgate there were about 30 citations filed with UPDNC, including fights, public urination, DUIs, possession of substances and simple battery.
“As senate leaders, help remind students about the rules and things that are set in place – no borgs, no kegs, no bottles. If you see something, please say something,” Calderon said to the senators. “All of our tailgate privileges rely on it.”
Reynolds recalled a student who went in and out of consciousness while struggling to keep her head up.
“People falling down, getting injured, that kind of stuff is what concerns us,” Reynolds said.
However, Reynolds said officers present at tailgates aren’t there to dismantle campus party culture.
Madison Eifert, UPDNC’s community outreach specialist, accompanied Reynolds in the presentation.
Eifert said students shouldn’t let the fear of getting in trouble with law enforcement stop them from calling for help. She wants students to remember they are protected under the Good Samaritan Laws.
“We’re not here to bust you. We’re going to make sure you literally graduate in one piece,” Eifert said.
Reynolds and Eifert ended their presentation by discussing the University of Nevada, Reno’s 2025-2026 crime statistics.
Traffic violations and property theft emerged as the two most frequent crimes on campus last year. Property theft accounted for 64% of crimes.
“A lot of it is just people leaving bikes on racks, people leaving things unattended, leaving office doors open, that kind of thing, and people will take advantage of that,” Eiffert said.
Additional statistics, such as the frequency of sexual violence crimes, are available through UPDNC’s 2026 Annual Security and Fire Report.
Ken Bhardwaj, senator for the School of Medicine and Orvis School of Nursing, asked Reynolds and Eifert about UPDNC resources for sexual assault victims in light of Jane Doe’s civil lawsuit against seven men in the Chi Phi chapter at Cornell University.
Reynolds said UPDNC provides access to rural resources and works with a victim advocate.
“There’s other big [organizations] on campus. There’s NevadaCARES which is a resource. We work really closely with Title IX,” said Reynolds.
Additionally, UPDNC confirmed that the class called Girls On Guard at the UNR Fitness Center is being temporarily replaced by a women’s self defense class independent from UPDNC.
“Due to staffing, we will not be doing it this semester,” said Eiffert. “Our scheduling did not line up with what the Fitness Center was looking for.”
Eiffert added “Girls On Guard” is still an available resource for group events.
“We can offer them as needed for a sorority or other female-dominated group,” Eiffert said. This service is free of charge.
After UPDNC’s presentation, the senate meeting discussed the Homecoming Parade, Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the open senate seat for the School of Public Health.
The Senate then unanimously approved two pieces of legislation. First was Agenda Item 18A, allowing the Senate to bypass the Committee of Budget and Finance for transactions on annual events like Homecoming. The other piece was Agenda Item 18B, which allocated funding for the “Coffee With A Cop” event in collaboration with the UPDNC. The event occurred on Thursday, Oct. 8.
