Editorial: School police should stick to patrolling
Monday, Aug. 9, 2004 | 8:59 a.m.
The chief of the Clark County School District's police force has his priorities straight. Although his lone detective investigating financial crimes is overburdened, Chief Elliot Phelps is not seeking to add more staff in that area. Phelps says making sure patrol shifts are fully manned in order to protect the schools is a more critical mission for his department.
In agreeing with the chief, we can't help but ask: Why does the department need a financial-crimes detective at all? This one detective has spent every working day since last fall working on just one, albeit complex, case -- an internal audit that showed the district's former athletic director had improperly used district funds.
Metro Police and the Nevada Division of Criminal Investigations helped out on the case, which on Friday afternoon resulted in an arrest warrant being issued. The warrant alleges the former athletic director diverted more than $94,000 in district funds for his own personal use.
In our view, Metro and the state agency were appropriate for the case, but the school police detective was not. We cannot imagine what genuine benefit one financial-crimes detective, no matter how diligent, provides a district with 280,000 students and more than 30,000 employees. Financial crimes are notoriously complex and time-consuming and require highly specialized expertise. Phelps said his detective, in the course of investigating the former athletic director, had to be sent out for advanced training.
The value of school police officers lies in their ability to provide extra security for students and employees. They should be on patrol 24/7 to guard against assaults, drug dealing, vandalism, fights, gang activity, weapons possession and other harmful activities. Complex investigations that would keep officers behind their desks for much more than a day are best handled entirely by Metro or the Nevada Division of Criminal Investigations.
archive
- Most Read
- Discussed
- Most E-mailed
- Sarah Palin wasn’t a disaster, but Obama is
- CityCenter’s Mandarin Oriental makes Vegas debut
- Kimbo Slice not enjoying cutting weight for first time
- As national jobless rate improves, LV sees signs of trouble
- Pacquiao-Mayweather fight on, March date likely
- Kruger may soon seek more disciplined shot selection
- Del Sol seeks upset against powerhouse Bishop Gorman
- Sub-freezing temperatures hit Las Vegas
- Court upholds sex conviction for Las Vegas magician
- UNLV president denies reports of Livengood as new AD
Blogs
The Kats Report
Kirk Kerkorian: CityCenter is 'simply the most amazing' Vegas project ever
Robin Leach's Las Vegas Celebrity Watch
Great Santa Run: Unofficial 14,595 runners would be a new record
Elsewhere
Rampage Jackson to return to UFC (3 Comments)
Politics: Ralston's Flash
Superintendents want state to immediately seek Race to Top funds
Top Chef: Las Vegas
The Jet Stream: The great Jennifer debate (2 Comments)
The Kats Report
From Eva Longoria Parker to a cluster of execs, crowd takes a shine to Crystals (4 Comments)
Elsewhere
Harry Reid's recipe for getting health-care deal done (10 Comments)
Calendar »
- 5 Sat
- 6 Sun
- 7 Mon
- 8 Tue
- 9 Wed
-
Chickenfoot at The Joint
The Joint | 8 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
-
The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale at the Pearl
The Pearl at the Palms | 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
-
Great Santa Run at Town Square
Town Square | 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
-
Willie Nelson at Planet Hollywood Theatre for the Performing Arts
Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino | 9 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
-
Cash'd Out at Aliante Station
Aliante Station Casino and Hotel | 9 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
-
Brooks & Dunn at the Hilton
Las Vegas Hilton
-
Ron White performs at the Mirage
Terry Fator Theatre
The Sun
Locally owned and independent for more than 50 years.
Technorati












