Editorial: Keller’s legacy will be tough to match
Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2001 | 8:58 a.m.
Sheriff Jerry Keller stunned everyone with his announcement Monday that he would not seek a third term in 2002. If the sheriff had decided to run for re-election, there was no serious challenger on the horizon. The reason for Keller's popularity is his on-the-job performance. Crime in many categories has dropped during his tenure, quite a testament to him, considering how fast the city has grown in that same period. And the roughly 1 million residents who make up the residential population that the agency must patrol is deceiving. There also are 30 million tourists who visit Las Vegas each year, a situation that stretches the limits of the police.
Keller rose up through the ranks in his long career as a police officer and earned the respect of fellow officers. As sheriff, he also acknowledged the need to punish those who bent the rules and, when necessary, vigorously supported the prosecution of officers charged with breaking the law. The sheriff understood that he was elected by the people, not the police force, and that his first responsibility was to protect the public from harm -- even if that came from his own police officers.
The election is still more than a year away, and there is plenty of time for potential candidates to decide if they want this tough job. Some of those hopefuls may come from within Metro itself, and Keller has done a nice job of grooming possible successors. Whoever wins the sheriff's race will be fortunate to inherit a department that is in good shape, thanks in very large part to Jerry Keller.
archive
- Most Read
- Discussed
- Most E-mailed
- Ensign moves out of home on C Street
- Cada and Moon emerge as Main Event’s final two
- Fight snapshot: Reviewing “24/7 Pacquiao/Cotto,” episode 3
- Life in the Limelight: Wayne Newton
- Cities, county find buying valley homes isn’t easy
- Motorcyclist dies in Summerlin crash
- Six people share their stories of what led them to jobs at CityCenter
- Fedor Emelianenko TKOs Brett Rogers in second round
- Two injured in shooting in central valley
- Buchanan was one of the city’s truly flamboyant characters
Blogs
Elsewhere
Findlay Prep's Bradley fitting in at Texas
Now and Then
I went to a hockey game and a New Mexico women's soccer match broke out (1 Comment)
Politics: The Early Line
Attention in D.C. focuses on health care proposals
Elsewhere
Fedor v. Rogers delivers solid ratings on CBS (4 Comments)
Bloggity, Bloggity, Bloggity
If you can rebuild the whole car, then why not allow an engine change? (1 Comment)
Robin Leach's Las Vegas Celebrity Watch
DWTS: Donny’s thirst for victory; Susan Boyle to make U.S. debut
Sports: Upon Further Review
Fight snapshot: Pacquiao is a hit with Jimmy Kimmel, and vice versa (2 Comments)
Calendar »
- 9 Mon
- 10 Tue
- 11 Wed
- 12 Thu
- 13 Fri
-
Jo Dee Messina at the House of Blues
House of Blues | 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
-
The Revival Tour at Beauty Bar
Beauty Bar | 9 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
-
DJ Tina T at Prive
Prive | 10 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
-
The Automatic Tour at The Square Apple
The Square Apple
The Sun
Locally owned and independent for more than 50 years.
Technorati








