Young seeking funds for 100 new officers

Jen Lawson

Monday, March 29, 2004 | 11:35 a.m.

Sheriff Bill Young asked the Metro Police fiscal oversight panel this morning for an 8.87 percent increase in supplemental funding for the next fiscal year, which would pay for 100 new police officers.

The funding request is just over the 8.5 percent increase the Clark County Commission decided last week that Metro should receive.

If Young receives the amount he requested this morning, it would also pay for 18 civilian staff and several renovations including the former-substation at Atlantic Street and St. Louis Avenue which would house the traffic bureau. The money would also pay for about 600 new Taser guns. The department currently has 400.

While Young said he was not happy with the budget request, he said he is a realist.

"This is a very tough year for Clark County," Young said.

Young's request came as a result of several months of scrutinizing Metro's operations.

Young wanted to hire 145 additional police officers and set up a medical program for employees, but he had to scale it back to 100 officers and put the medical program on hold.

The officers and civilian staff would be hired on a staggered schedule.

Out of the 100 officers, 75 would be assigned to patrol duty, 15 to investigative units and 10 to traffic enforcement. Also five officers may be moved from McCarran International Airport to patrol duty.

Young said this plan was the best he could do considering his financial constraints, but he warned it wasn't even close to what the department really needs.

"I don't care if you live in West Las Vegas, the Eastern swath of our valley, or in Summerlin in the fanciest gated community, every person in this valley has a right to police protection," Young said.

Currently the ratio of officers to residents is 1.7 officers per 1,000 residents, but when the tourist population is factored in Young said the actual ratio is 1.5 officers per 1,000. The national average is 2.5 officers per 1,000 residents, he said.

To get more funding, Young plans to ask voters this November to pass a ballot initiative that would fund Metro through property taxes. So far he says he has raised about $650,000 in private money to campaign for the initiative. Most of the funding came from the gaming industry.

Young had at least one Las Vegas city councilman backing the larger increase that Young wanted.

Gary Reese said he would have pushed for Young's full request because "we are losing the battle against crime."