Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Where I Stand — Jerry Keller: Police hit target goals

Editor's note: Today's Where I Stand is written by Sheriff Jerry Keller. He writes that Las Vegas is safer today than it was five years ago, with significant reductions seen in nearly every crime category. He points out the increases in drive-by shootings and meth labs and talks about his department's response.

IT IS WITH great pride and pleasure that I write this column about one of my favorite topics -- the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the 3,500 great men and women who work for this agency. Let me share with you how I see our department as we head into the new millennium and offer a glimpse of how our police department will meet the challenges facing this agency in the years to come.

Our department, which last year celebrated its 25th anniversary following the consolidation of the Las Vegas Police Department and the Clark County sheriff's office in 1973, has grown to become the 19th-largest police department in the nation. I am proud to tell you that this agency is viewed and regarded as one of the top law enforcement organizations in North America.

In July 1989 we were the first agency in Nevada to be fully accredited, a claim that only 10 percent of agencies nationwide can make. Currently our agency is one of only 14 in the nation that has been awarded the "triple crown" of accreditation through the National Sheriffs Association. This recognition reaffirms that our standards and procedures both at the Clark County Detention Center and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department meet or exceed nationally recognized standards of excellence.

Our department's Strategic Plan, developed by our employees to guide this agency into the next century, is now in its third year and has produced significant results. Our department goals, mission statement and statement of fundamental values have been embraced by our employees.

Our goals -- protect life and property, arrest suspects, prevent crime in partnership with the community -- are the guides we use to develop strategies. Our mission statement -- "to protect the residents of our community and ensure that Las Vegas is the safest tourist destination in the United States" -- is simple, but clearly defines what we at Metro are accomplishing.

I'm proud to report that our employees' efforts and our partnerships with our community are paying tremendous dividends. Our community is safer now than it was five years ago! Nearly every single crime category has been reduced, from felony aggravated assaults, which are down 57 percent, to auto thefts, which are down almost 6 percent. Your chance of being robbed is 40 percent less than five years ago. Burglaries have fallen by more than one third.

All this has been accomplished while the population our agency serves has exploded to more than 1 million people, an increase of more than 33 percent from the 1994 level.

Rest assured, though, that your police department is not resting on this impressive performance. We have seen the successes that our "partnerships with our community" have produced and plan on expanding this relationship even further in the future, along with bringing new programs such as the VIVA Citizens Patrol on board. Programs and efforts such as "First Tuesday," citizens Police Academies for both adults and young adults, our Metro Volunteer Program, Multicultural Awareness Day at the academy and Community-Police advisory councils will all be continued and enhanced.

The challenge of growth is being met head-on with a building plan that includes a state-of-the-art Communications Center, which breaks ground this month, and will be completed in the spring of 2000. Our new Police Academy and a new Northwest Area Command will break ground soon and be completed next year. Additionally three new area commands will be built over the next two to three years, along with the expected relocation of our Fingerprint Bureau to the current site of our Communications Center at Russell Road and the Strip.

Not all is rosy, however. Drive-by shootings are disturbingly higher this year than last and the scourge of methamphetamine usage is unacceptable. More than 240 clandestine labs have been discovered this year, an alarming increase from last year's total.

Obviously we are concerned about these increases and have taken steps to address the problems. Both the Gang Crimes Section and our Narcotics Section have been given additional personnel and resources. Additionally both are working very closely with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to address these unlawful and dangerous activities in our community.

We have accomplished much and continue to expand the boundaries of creative and progressive policing in North America. Although we face many challenges ahead, including the upcoming News Year's Eve celebration, rest assured that the fine men and women of your police department will be prepared and will continue to provide excellent police service to all the citizens of our community.

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