Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD)
Common name	Metro
Abbreviation	LVMPD
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department patch
Agency overview
Preceding agencies	Las Vegas Police Department Clark County Sheriff's Department
Employees	5,300+
Legal personality	Governmental: Government agency
Jurisdictional structure
Legal jurisdiction	All of Clark County, Nevada except for the cities of Henderson, North Las Vegas, Boulder City and Mesquite.
General nature	Law enforcement Civilian agency
Operational structure
Headquarters	400 East Stewart Avenue Las Vegas, Nevada
Police Officers	2,597 (2009)
Sheriff responsible	Douglas C. Gillespie
Facilities
Area Commands	8
Airbases	1
Detention Centers	1
Marked and Unmarked Cars	4000+
Helicopters	7
Planes	1
Dogs	35
Horses	12
Website
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department web site
Footnotes
* Divisional agency: Sub division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (also known as the LVMPD or Metro) is the joint city-county police force for Clark County, Nevada. It is run by the Sheriff of Clark County, elected every four years. The Sheriff is the only elected head law enforcement officer within the county. The other major agencies: Nevada Highway Patrol (NHP), Henderson Police Department, North Las Vegas Police Department, Boulder City Police Department, Mesquite Police Department and Clark County School Police Department are headed by chiefs that are appointed and serve for an indeterminate period.

Metro is the largest law enforcement agency in the state of Nevada.

History

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) - most often referred to by residents of Las Vegas simply as "Metro" - was formed on July 1, 1973 by merging the Las Vegas Police Department with the Clark County Sheriff's Department. These agencies ceased to exist upon the creation of the LVMPD. Metro serves the city limits of Las Vegas and the unincorporated areas of Clark County.

In 1999, an outside audit, commissioned by the City of Las Vegas and conducted by DMG-Maximus, commended the department for having fewer managers and supervisors than are normally found in large police agencies. The audit also said that the managers, both sworn and civilian, were of "excellent quality."^{[citation needed]} The auditors found that the recruitment and selection program was "among the best we have encountered in recent years." Although the City had planned to commission a second phase of the study, DMG-Maximus auditors said they were so impressed with the department that further study was unnecessary, saving the City $180,000 that had been allocated for the audit.^{[citation needed]}

Currently, Metro has over 5,300 members. Of these 5,300+ individuals, over 2,500 are police officers of various ranks and over 750 are corrections officers of various ranks.

LVMPD operates on a conventional radio system, which was upgraded in 2000. Currently this system is being modernized to a digital format with encrypted voice channels and is scheduled to be fully operational in late 2009.

In 2006, Sergeant Henry Prendes became the first Metro officer in 18 years to be shot and killed in the line of duty. Officer Donald Weese died in the line of duty in 1989 as a result of a traffic accident, Officer Russell Peterson died in the line of duty in 1998 during a training exercise near Mount Charleston. Officer Marc Kahre was shot and killed in the line of duty in 1988. He was the 22nd law enforcement official to be killed on duty in Clark County since Las Vegas was founded.^[1]

On May 7th of 2009 in the early morning hours, Officer James "Jamie" Manor of Enterprise Area Command was killed as a result of a traffic collision while enroute to a possible domestic violence call. Officer Manor was the 23rd officer in Clark County to be killed in the line of duty.

On October 7th 2009 in the late night hours Officer Milburn "Millie" Beitel and another officer in the passenger seat were both seriously injured in a single-vehicle crash. Officer Beitel died the early morning hours of October 8th 2009 due to his injuries. This incident came exactly five months after officer James Manor died in a crash in his patrol car.

In the early morning hours of November 19, 2009, Metro Police Officer Trevor Nettleton was shot to death in his garage after exchanging fire with 3 men in a botched robbery attempt. Metro considers this death 'in the line of duty' as he drew his police weapon in defense of himself and family and will be laid to rest with full police honors.

On November 21, 2009, Corrections Officer Daniel Leach, while on duty, was killed in a car accident near Searchlight, NV.

List of Clark County Sheriffs

• Charles Corkhill 1909-1911
• Sam Gay, 1911-1931
  • Will Mundy, 1917 (served when Sam Gay was removed from office)
  • Jay Warren Woodard, 1917 (served when Sam Gay was removed from office)
• Joe Keate, 1931-1936
• Bill Mott, 1936-1937
• Gene Ward, 1937-1943
• Glen C. Jones, 1943-1955
• Butch Leypoldt, 1955-1961
• Ralph Lamb, 1961-1979 (CCSO)
• John McCarthy, 1979-1983
• John Moran, 1983-1995 (LVPD)
• Jerry Keller, 1995-2003 (CCSO)
• Bill Young, 2003-2007
• Douglas C. Gillespie, 2007-

Funding

The Department is funded by the City of Las Vegas and Clark County. Funding is based on a complex formula that includes population, calls for service, and felony crimes in the prior year. Both governments must approve the annual budget including their percentage of budget. Additionally the department itself generates approximately 33% of its funds through property tax, and the charging for certain services, such as special events, work cards, and privileged license investigations. Additional funding is generated from a special sales tax to fund commissioned positions.

By state law, the Sheriff of Clark County is charged with running the county jail, known as the Clark County Detention Center or CCDC. This is funded 100% by the government and tax base of Clark County.

Organization

There are two commissioned career tracks in the LVMPD. They have identical civil service rank structures and pay, but different day to day tasks and responsibilities.

• Corrections: These officers are tasked with operating, managing and supervising the Clark County Detention Center: there are over 750 currently.
  • Corrections Officer 690
  • Corrections Sergeant 66
  • Corrections Lieutenant 19
  • Corrections Captain 6

• Police: These officers are assigned all over the department; there are over 2500 currently.
  • Police Officer 2213
  • Police Sergeant 284
  • Police Lieutenant 78
  • Police Captain 23

Officers with the title of 'Detective' are addressed as such by tradition and custom, however, unlike some other agencies, this is an assignment dependent title and not a formal civil service rank.

Major patrol responsibilities are covered by bike patrols, motorcycle units and patrol cars assigned to the following units:

The LVMPD is divided into eight urban area commands:

• Bolden (Sectors U and W) - serves the west central portion of the city, including the old westside, an area bordered by I-15, US-95, Rancho Drive and Lake Mead Boulevard.
• Convention Center (Sectors M and L) - Las Vegas Strip and Las Vegas Convention Center areas
• Downtown (Sectors A, B and C)- this division serves Downtown Las Vegas and areas roughly east of Eastern, south of Owens and north of Sahara Avenue to include the infamous 'Naked City' and Fremont Street areas.
• Northeast (Sectors F and G) - Sector F includes unincorporated areas of North Las Vegas and the Las Vegas Speedway/Nellis AFB area.
• Northwest (Sectors V and X) - serves areas generally west of Decatur Blvd and north of Charleston Blvd.
• Southeast (Sectors H, J and K) - serves areas east of Maryland Parkway and south of Sahara Blvd. Sector J includes unincorporated areas of Henderson.
• Enterprise (Formerly Southwest - as of July 7, 2008) (Sectors O, P, R and S)- this area serves mostly the southwest valley west of I-15 and south of Charleston Blvd.Also includes Chinatown.
• South Central (Sectors I, N) This area command serves the areas south of McCarran Airport between Interstate 15 and roughly Eastern Avenue.

Other major coverage details:

• Transportation Safety (Traffic) (All Sectors)
• Airport (Sector Q)
• nine different rural areas outside the Las Vegas Valley including:
  • Laughlin (Area 81)
  • Searchlight (Area 82)
  • Jean-Goodsprings (Area 83)
  • Blue Diamond-Sloan (Area 84)
  • Mount Charleston (Area 85)
  • Indian Springs (Area 86)
  • Logandale-Overton (Area 87)
  • Moapa Valley-Glendale (Area 88)
  • Riverside-Bunkerville (Area 89)

Enforcement areas

Persons arrested by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department enter the criminal justice system at the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas.

This department provides law enforcement services for all of Clark County, including the City of Las Vegas, yielding primary jurisdiction to the following agencies:

• Boulder City Police Department in Boulder City
• Hoover Dam Police
• College of Southern Nevada Police Department Formed in 2005
• Clark County Park Police in all Clark County parks
• Clark County School District Police Department on Clark County School District property
• Henderson Police Department in Henderson
• City of Las Vegas Court Marshals which deliver warrants in the City of Las Vegas
• City of Las Vegas Deputy City Marshals which provide enforcement activities on public property, primarily city property
• Mesquite Police Department in Mesquite
• United States Air Force Security Forces at Nellis Air Force Base in North Las Vegas
• Nevada Highway Patrol is responsible for the interstate highways and state highways in Clark County
• Nevada Capitol Police :responsible for protection of the Grant Sawyer State Office Building in downtown Las Vegas
• North Las Vegas Police Department in North Las Vegas
• Paiute Tribal Police on the two Paiute Indian reservations
• UNLV Police Services on University of Nevada, Las Vegas campuses and sports facilities. Formed in 1972
• Various government agencies like the BLM or the National Park Service provide law enforcement services for other federally owned land in the county.

Structure

The LVMPD is led by the Sheriff and the Undersheriff, who are assisted by 3 Assistant Sheriffs. The Office of Intergovernmental Services, and the Office of General Counsel both report to the Sheriff. The Office of Public Information and the Office of Finance report to the Undersheriff.

Four of the six elected Clark County Sheriff's since the LVMPD was consolidated in 1973 are former members of either the Clark County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) or Las Vegas Police Department (LVPD). Former Sheriff Young and current Sheriff Gillespie are retired members of the LVMPD (that is they were commissioned solely as members of the LVMPD) Sheriff Gillespie rose to, and retired at, the appointed rank of Undersheriff prior to assuming public office as the duly elected Sheriff of Clark County.

The ranks of Undersheriff, Assistant Sheriff, and Deputy Chief are drawn from the highest civil service rank of Captain. These positions serve at the pleasure of the Sheriff and as such, if they lose the confidence of the person who holds that office, they can be returned to the rank of Captain if they choose not to simply retire. Division Directors are civilian appointees that head Divisions as would a Deputy Chief. Of additional note, at various points in the department's history the rank of Commander has been used between the ranks of Deputy Chief and Captain.

The Assistant Sheriff for Law Enforcement Services oversees 3 divisions, each overseen by a Deputy Chief or Division Director, as well as the Professional Standards Burueau. The divisions are: The Technical Services Division (made up of the Criminalistics Bureau, Records Bureau, Fingerprint Bureau, and Logistics Bureau), The Human Resources Division (made up of the Personnel Bureau and Training Bureau), and the Communication & Technology Services Division (made up of the Communications Bureau and Information Technology Bureau).

The Assistant Sheriff for Law Enforcement Operations oversees 3 divisions, each led by a Deputy Chief. The divisions are: Detention Services Division (made up of the Records Bureau, South Tower Bureau, Central Booking Bureau, North Tower Bureau, Administrative Operations Bureau, Staff Operations Bureau, and the Low Level offender Bureau), the Central Patrol Division (made up of the Downtown Area Command, Bolden Area Command, Northeast Area Command, Northwest Area Command, and the Patrol Services Bureau), and the Valley Patrol Division (made up of the Enterprise Area Command, Convention Center Area Command, Southeast Area Command, South Central Area Command, and the Gang Crimes Bureau).

The Assistant Sheriff for Law Enforcement Investigations oversees 3 divisions, each led by a Deputy Chief. The divisions area: The Investigative Services Division (made up of the Robbery/Homicide Bureau, The Crimes Against Youth/Family Bureau, and the Financial/Property Crimes Bureau), the Special Operations Division (made up of the Support Services Bureau, Vice & Narcotics Bureau, and the Traffic Bureau), and the Homeland Security Division (made up of the Homeland Security Bureau, the Airport Bureau, and the Organized Crime Bureau).

Area Commands and Bureaus are typically led by Captains. The Captains in turn manage a staff of 3 to 4 Lieutenants who in turn manage a staff of 4 or 5 Sergeants. Sergeants typically supervise 6-12 Police Officers, Corrections Officers, or Detectives and civilian support staff. Sections are typically led by Lieutenants.

A typical substation or Area Command has a Captain, 4 Police Lieutenants, 16 Police Sergeants, and 130-150 Police Officers.

Training

• The Academy

The LVMPD operates its own training academy - officially the LVMPD Recruit Training Academy, but referred to by members of the department as simply 'The Academy'. All new recruits are required to attend this intense and highly regimented 24 week academy. This includes those who have attended another police academy. The Academy itself is composed of a hand-picked training staff of senior LVMPD Police Officers who are recognized experts in multiple fields including police academics, patrol tactics, procedure, defensive tactics/martial arts, physical fitness, and firearms skills.

The Academy is headquartered at the Jerry Keller Training Facility situated next to the Northwest Area Command station. The first 12 weeks of the Academy are held at this location. During this initial phase, the police recruit's training is centered around intense physical conditioning, basic defensive tactics, and copious academic classroom instruction.

The remainder of the Academy is located at the Mojave Training Facility adjacent to the Northeast Area Command. At this facility, the recruit's training becomes less academic-based and far more practical-application-based. The concentration of the curriculum focuses on intense defensive tactics/martial art instruction and advanced police tactics. It is also during this phase that the police recruit receives firearms training and the Emergency Vehicle Operator's Course.

The LVMPD Recruit Training Academy is nationally regarded as one of the toughest police academies in the nation, both physically and academically. The drop-out or failure rate of The Academy is roughly 35 percent. The LVMPD has a specific recruitment and Academy website. Visit the LVMPD recruitment and Academy web site.

In addition to police academics, the recruits must successfully complete a basic Spanish Language program which is taught throughout the Academy training.

(The LVMPD runs a separate academy for corrections officers. This academy is located inside the Clark County Detention Center (CCDC).^{[citation needed]} and is similar to the police academy, but somewhat shorter in duration.)

• Field Training and Evaluation Program (FTEP)

Upon successful completion of The Academy, the new officer's training continues during an intensive 19 week Field Training and Evaluation Program (FTEP). During this time, the new officer rides side-by-side with a certified Field Training Officer (FTO) who grades and evaluates the officers every move and decision.

The role of the FTO is also to train the new officer in real-world application of the skills he or she learned in The Academy in a student/master relationship. The new officer is assigned to a new FTO every three weeks for a total of 6 FTOs over two 'phases' (9 weeks Phase 1, 10 weeks Phase 2). The new officer must show a measured level of skill and competency to advance through the phases.

Those who do not successfully complete field training or probation are not-confirmed, that is, their appointment as police or corrections officers is deemed not to be confirmed during the probationary period defined by civil service - their commissions are revoked and they are terminated from the LVMPD. The combined rate of failure and voluntary withdrawal from FTEP is roughly 5-10%.

The final 3 weeks FTEP are 'solo' weeks. The new officer will ride by himself/herself for at least 2 shifts per week under the close scrutiny of his/her final FTO. At the successful completion of the FTEP program, the new officer is transferred to his/her first duty patrol squad and is officially a 'Police Officer" with the LVMPD.

From the day the recruit enters the academy to the day he or she completes training and is a solo police officer patrolling the street is 45 weeks - just 7 weeks short of an entire year.

• In-Service / Continued Training and Education

The LVMPD also places a very large emphasis on its continuing training for its commissioned police officers. LVMPD officers are required to attend quarterly firearms training and re-qualifications, quarterly defensive tactics training, a vigorous once-yearly Advanced Officer Survival Tactics course, monthly 'back-to-basics' training, various required on-line classes per year, and an additional mandatory 10 hours of new training per year selected from a vast list of classes offered by the LVMPD or other certified agency.

One complete shift every two weeks is also dedicated for squad-level training. This does not include special skill or specialized unit specific mandated training. The LVMPD encourages its officers to attend as much training as is possible to learn new skills and stay current with cutting-edge law enforcement techniques and tactics.

The Emergency Vehicle Operations Course (EVOC) takes place at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Police officers with the LVMPD complete their initial course of training for EVOC in The Academy. Commissioned officers then must re-certify every two years during an additional 10-hour EVOC course.

• Citizen Training

The department also operates two Citizen's Police Academies.^[2] One of these is a regular academy and the second is a Spanish Citizen's Police Academy.

Specialized units

For individual unit specifics and detail see following section, "Specialized Unit Specifics".

Specialized Unit Specifics

SWAT The LVMPD SWAT Team is a nationally respected organization. The team is composed of 30 operators, they are one of few full-time SWAT Teams in the country. The team's main objective is to save lives, victims and suspects alike. They are on the cutting edge on the use of less lethal weapons and munitions. Team members are highly trained and work in no less than 2 man cells. They are not called the 'Zebra Squadron' as it is asserted the narrator on a well known cable documentary. However, their designated callsign is Z, phonetically in the LVMPD alphabet- Zebra. They are referred to individually as Zebra units. Very rarely they are called Team Zebra. The individual officers are denoted by their seniority in the unit. Therefore Z1 (or Zebra 1) is the most senior operator and Z30 is the most junior. This nomenclature applies to many other units within the department as well. LVMPD SWAT conducts their training both for LVMPD recruits and seasoned officers within the department as well as visiting agencies from across the country. In a given year they will respond to an average of 55 hostage incidents and execute over 365 high risk search warrants and/or arrest warrants.

Traffic Also called 'Motors' is the largest all Harley Davidson fleet in the country with 150+ motor officers assigned to it, including sergeants, lieutenants, and a captain. Traffic does specialized enforcement as dictated by the office of the sheriff, on the freeways, main and secondary roads, and schools. Motors is responsible for the majority of the DUI arrests and citations written in Clark county. These units are called "Tom" units - with a 3-digit or 4-digit number (the first designating its shift, and the last two or three digits representing the officer's seniority).

K-9

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department has one of the oldest, continuously operating K-9 units in the United States.

Currently, the LVMPD K-9 Detail has 21 officers (including three sergeants) and 21 Patrol Dogs, trained to locate human scent. These dogs search for suspects, lost victims, and evidence that suspects may have discarded. Seven are European bred German Shepherds, one Dutch Shepherd, and 13 are Belgian Malinois.

LVMPD has 15 detection dogs, nine of the dogs are Narcotic Detector dogs which are trained to locate marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin. They use hunting breeds such as Springer Spaniels and Labrador Retrievers because of their high hunt and play drives. Also have six Explosive Detector Dogs used to locate many various types of explosives. In addition to the dogs assigned to K-9, LVMPD has six other Narcotic Detector Dogs. Five of these dogs are assigned to the Narcotics Detail, Interdiction Team. They have one Springer Spaniel, and Black and Yellow Labradors. The sixth is assigned to the Resident Section, Laughlin and is a Black Labrador.

Fallen K-9 Officers

Firearms

Firearms Training takes place at the LVMPD John T Moran Tactical Firearms Training Facility located near Nellis Air Force Base.The facility is used by numerous local,state,and federal law enforcement agencies. At the facility, Recruits receive several weeks of firearms training during the Academy. Commissioned police officers must attend firearms re-qualification 4 times a year. This re-qualification is for all department-carried firearms: handguns, shotguns, low-lethal shotguns, and rifles (M4/AR15). The qualifications include known-distance targets and tactical courses of fire in both regular and low-light.

LVMPD does not issue handguns to recruits. When recruits enter the Academy, they are issued inoperable handguns and a holster. These handguns are carried by the recruits for training purposes during the first week of the academy. As the academy progresses, the recruits receive firearms selection training. (This training is designed to assist in making a decision on the selection of an appropriate duty handgun.) Once recruits have received this training, they are allowed to privately purchase and carry a handgun authorized by LVMPD Policy. The LVMPD Firearms Policy is covered in detail during training.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department has several qualifications on what type of firearm may be carried:

1) The firearm MUST be manufactured by:

Beretta, Colt, Glock, Kimber, Para Ordnance, Wilson Combat, Unertl Ordnance, Heckler & Koch, Ruger, Sig Sauer, Springfield Armory, Steyr Mannlicher, or Smith and Wesson.

2) The firearm MUST be chambered in either: 9mm, .40 S&W, or .45 ACP.

3) The firing mechanism must be:

Traditional Double/Single action (Beretta, H&K, Ruger, Sig Sauer pistols), Single action (1911-style pistols), Striker-fired or "safe-action" (i.e. Glock and Steyr "M" pistols), Double-Action only (i.e. Smith & Wesson 5946 pistol)

4) The finish must either be blued/black or stainless steel.

5) Barrel length must be at least 3.5 inches and not exceed 6 inches.

6) Grips must be either a high-impact plastic or rubber (black in color), or wood; and must be designed to be used with either hand.

LVMPD in television and movies

• Ocean's Eleven (1960 film) (as Clark County Sheriff's Office)
• Ocean's Eleven (2001 film)
• Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974)
• The Gauntlet (1977)
• Vega$ (1978-1981)
• Diamonds are Forever (as CCSO and LVPD) (1971)
• COPS (TV series) (featured regularly since 1990)
• Casino (film) (1995)
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000- ) (fictitiously depicted as the "Las Vegas Police Department" in the show)
• Las Vegas (TV series) (2003-2008)
• Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)
• Next (2007)
• The video game Grand Theft Auto San Andreas (fictitiously depicted as the Las Venturas Police Department)
• The video game Rainbow Six Vegas

See also

Law enforcement/Law enforcement topics portal

• List of law enforcement agencies in Nevada
• Zane Floyd
• O.J. Simpson
• Tupac Shakur

References

http://www.officer.com/web/online/Officer-Down-News/Las-Vegas-Officer-Dies-After-Fiery-Crash/2$48784

External links

• Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department web site
• LVMPD Academy and Recruitment web site
• Las Vegas Police Protective Association
• LVMPD Search and Rescue
• LVMPD K-9 web site
• "Protect the City" - Metro Recruiting
• "Injured Police Officers Fund" - Official fund to aid officers injured or killed in line of duty
• Las Vegas Police/Fire/EMS Live Feed