Cops plan response to study by city

Erin Neff

Friday, Nov. 5, 1999 | 11:10 a.m.

Metro Police plans a point-by-point response to a city of Las Vegas study that suggests millions can be saved by streamlining police operations.

"It is apparent from statements in error discovered in an initial reading of the report that communication between the Las Vegas Metro Police Department and the city needs to improve," said spokesman Lt. Marc Joseph.

Metro's analysis of the city study has been divided up in-house to cover each of the city's 16 issues of concern.

"A number of them clearly demonstrate that we have not shared with them a better understanding of police work," said Metro comptroller Lois Willis.

Some of the issues are "easily resolved," Willis said.

Others, including Metro's use of $2 million annually in crime-related forfeitures, may require the state Legislature to step in.

"We are confident that several of the issues are easily resolved with the cooperation of the city, county and LVMPD while other issues may require time-consuming study and legislative action," Joseph said.

Representatives of Metro, the city and Clark County took the first step in addressing the issues raised in the 150-page study by sitting down to talk Thursday.

Metro Undersheriff Richard Winget, Clark County Manager Dale Askew, County Commission Chairman Bruce Woodbury, City Manager Virginia Valentine and Mayor Oscar Goodman all discussed the report that was released Wednesday afternoon following months of study.

"There are areas that really have to be addressed to make sure that we feel comfortable that we're getting what we're paying for," Goodman said Thursday morning at his weekly press conference.

"Now we're going to give Metro the opportunity to be very critical of it and the county to be very critical of it," he added. "Whatever plays out is the bottom line and we'll go from there."

Goodman said he would not comment on the 16 issues raised in the study until the county and Metro had a chance to examine the report.

"It really is pretty irrelevant as to what I think at this time without having it shook down and shaken out by those that are looking at it," Goodman said.

The report suggests the city alone could save about $4.1 million annually by streamlining certain Metro operations.

The forfeiture issue identified in the study suggests the city is owed roughly $850,000 annually from the $2 million Metro collects. The report also suggests the county should get $1.15 million of that money.

Willis said that state law currently prohibits the direct collection of that money by either the city or county. Instead, she said, it must be sent to a separate fund.

Metro's $239 million budget is funded with $73.2 million from the city and $99 million from the county. Voter-approved tax overrides of $50.2 million and miscellaneous revenue of $15.8 million round out the total budget.

Several issues identified in the city's report suggest shifting the cost of certain operations from joint city-county funding to county-only funding.

Willis said she expects Metro to have preliminary data on each of the city's 16 issues Monday when Sheriff Jerry Keller returns from being out of town.