Editorial: ‘Fair share’ fight over funding

Monday, July 12, 1999 | 9:47 a.m.

Southern Nevadans have long argued that this fast-growing region doesn't get its fair share of government funding. Adding fuel to the "fair share" fire was a recent decision by the state Department of Motor Vehicles and Public Safety to provide Clark County just $566,137 in federal law enforcement grants out of a total $3.95 million received by Nevada.

Under the Byrne federal grants, a variety of local government agencies -- including law enforcement and social service -- apply to the state to fund programs to fight violent and drug-related crimes. Assembly Majority Leader Richard Perkins, D-Henderson, believes Southern Nevada is being shortchanged. Perkins, who also is a Henderson police officer, said the state should make sure that the funds go to where the most crime is, which in this case is Southern Nevada. Perkins is right.

Of the arrests for murder in Nevada, two-thirds in 1998 occurred in the Las Vegas Metro Police Department's jurisdiction. On a range of other crime categories, a similar trend repeats itself. It makes no sense that Las Vegas Metro Police would receive only $91,422 of the $1.1 million it requested. That the sheriff's office in tiny Humboldt County would receive $98,472 -- more than Las Vegas Metro Police -- is inconceivable.

Department of Motor Vehicles and Public Safety officials contend that the parameters established by the federal government direct that an emphasis be placed on multijurisdictional efforts to fight crime, such as jointly run efforts involving local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to interdict drugs. While the Byrne grant does emphasize this, materials describing the federal program also note that the state should take into consideration which geographic area has the greatest need.

This is not meant to minimize the drug and serious crime problem confronting Northern Nevada. But if the lion's share of criminal activity is occurring in Southern Nevada, it only makes sense to devote most of the money here. The Department of Motor Vehicles and Public Safety should re-evaluate how it allocates these federal funds, paying more attention to the needs of Southern Nevada.