Town hall meeting turns into rally to save Metro Police

Erin Neff

Monday, Sept. 27, 1999 | 11:57 a.m.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman's open-door meeting on Friday turned into something of a pep rally to save Metro from being split.

Normally the meeting topics flit from transportation to social services to just plain government bureaucracy complaints.

But the hundreds in attendance at Goodman's most recent meeting had nothing but Metro on their minds.

Metro Undersheriff Richard Winget led the charge from his front-row seat in the packed council chambers.

"Obviously this issue of deconsolidation has struck a tremendous nerve in this community," Winget said.

Even as Goodman denied having ever seen a city study suggesting $15 million of annual savings if Las Vegas forms its own police force, Winget confirmed that city staff had given him that very figure.

"It's just incredible to me. It's absolutely amazing to me. I can't even fathom how this has gotten to the point it's gotten to," Goodman lamented, as he eyed more than 300 off-duty Metro employees and private citizens. "I have not seen one piece of paper regarding Metro. The mayor has not been briefed on anything."

But a study, nonetheless, is expected to greet City Manager Virginia Valentine's return from Europe today. Valentine, who has been out of the country for the past two weeks, has missed more than just 10 days in City Hall.

A firestorm of media coverage followed the Sept. 17 leaked news that the city was in fact studying ways to form its own police force. Deconsolidating Metro has been bantered about City Hall during nearly every administration that has served since the sheriff's office and city police force joined in 1973.

Goodman and his council colleagues have all vowed that if true savings can be realized by splitting up the force, they will do just that.

Representatives of Metro's officers, managers and civilian unions all told Goodman to reconsider the idea.

Sgt. Charles Hank, a 10-year Metro officer who is vice president of the National Black Police Association's Nevada chapter, told the mayor that even the study of deconsolidation has chilled recruiting.

"We're starting to get the calls now down at the recruiting station," Hank said. "They want to know should they continue to wait or should they go somewhere else?"

If Metro is split, the city would form its own police force using roughly 40 percent of Metro's personnel, equipment and facilities. A majority vote by the council would be enough to end the interlocal agreement with Clark County that funds Metro.

If deconsolidation occurs, it would begin with the new fiscal year, July 1, 2000.

Hank told Goodman he didn't think residents would support such a move based on their 1996 approval of a ballot question to fund more police officers.

"I think it's clear that the public has already spoken to what they want," Hank said. "Money is not the only issue."

Summerlin resident Frank LaConte agreed and suggested politics is the driving force behind deconsolidation talk.

"There are elements within your council looking for power," LaConte said. "We didn't elect a co-mayor or a part-time mayor ... If you want to start saving money, I would start with Councilman (Michael) McDonald's office."