NLV plans to unite police and corrections

Thursday, Oct. 7, 2004 | 11:12 a.m.

North Las Vegas moved to combine the administration of its jail and police department today by appointing the police chief to head the city's detentions and corrections operations.

City Manager Gregory Rose is working on a plan to merge the two agencies, which he hopes to present to the City Council in two months, the city said in a statement.

"I believe consolidating city law enforcement services is the best option for the safety of the community," Rose said in the statement announcing his appointment of Police Chief Mark Paresi as acting chief of the jail.

Paresi's appointment must be approved by the City Council to be made permanent.

The jail houses about 850 prisoners at any given time and employs 200 people, police spokesman Timothy Bedwell said.

Paresi, who took the reins of North Las Vegas Police two years ago, worked for 28 years for the police department of Portland, Ore.

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