Washoe schools police chief out; calls it surprise

RENO — The Washoe County School District police chief says he was taken off guard and hurt when he was let go last week.

Mike Mieras told the media Monday that he’s worked for the district for 20 years, including 12 as chief, and hasn’t had a problem.

The district issued a statement Monday saying Superintendent Pedro Martinez was restructuring several departments to improve operations, and the effort included changing the police department leadership. District officials thanked Mieras for his service and said they will continue discussing retirement options with him.

Mieras was a familiar face in media coverage following a deadly shooting at Sparks Middle School in October.

School Board President Barbara Clark characterized the move as a retirement and told KOLO-TV it wasn’t connected to any specific incident.