Editorial: Bungling a gamble to secede

Sunday, Sept. 26, 1999 | 9:24 a.m.

Probably the most asked question among valley residents regarding Las Vegas' consideration of secession from the city-county Metro Police Department is this: What could the city possibly have been thinking? There has been incredulity that Las Vegas could save $15 million annually if it created its own department, as is being projected by the city's in-house preliminary analysis, which still hasn't been released.

At an editorial board meeting with the Sun last week, Metro Police's fiscal chief said there is "no way" the city could realize such savings. Comptroller Lois Willis noted that the personnel costs alone for a city-run police department would nearly match what the city is contributing to Metro now, which is about $73 million. Assuming the city broke away and had a ratio of two police officers for every 1,000 residents, that would mean the city would need 900 police officers. The average salary and benefits for a Metro police officer is about $80,000, according to Willis, bringing the city's personnel costs to at least $72 million annually. This would leave roughly $1 million before even taking into account the costs of paying civilian employees, including crime scene analysts and clerks to take station reports. Also needed, Willis reminds us, are funds for uniforms, firearms, radios, vehicles and all the other maintenance costs needed to fuel and service police cars.

It's hard to believe, then, that the city could even break even by having its own police department, let alone save $15 million a year. The only logical way that savings could be realized is cutting costs somewhere, whether it is severely reducing salaries or not hiring as many police officers. Neither option is feasible and would not be supported by the public.

When consolidation was undertaken 26 years ago it was done for two basic reasons: to save money and improve policing. Consolidation has eliminated unnecessary duplications -- such as separate criminal labs -- and benefits taxpayers. And prior to consolidation, Las Vegas had the dubious distinction as having one of the worst crime rates in the nation. Today, according to Sheriff Jerry Keller, Las Vegas ranks 205th in crime statistics for cities with a population of 75,000 or more, demonstrating its effectiveness in ensuring public safety. Metro Police, as is the case with any government agency, certainly has room for improvement. But a recent Las Vegas Sun/Las Vegas 1 poll indicates that residents served by Metro Police find the department responsive and respectful and give high marks to Keller.

It is understandable that the city wants to make sure the funds it spends are being used efficiently, but this secretive process has been destructive. Although Keller's office is just two floors below the City Council's offices, the sheriff was never informed secession was being contemplated. And the city's release of information that it could save $15 million, without also detailing how the savings could be achieved, has led to confusion, not clarity. The city's poor handling of this matter shows it isn't ready to run a major metropolitan police department.