Editorial: Tackling the space crunch

Tuesday, April 25, 2006 | 7:06 a.m.

Clark County Sheriff Bill Young is offering a solution to long-standing problems in Las Vegas - the cramped headquarters for Metro Police and the even more cramped conditions at the county jail.

Young's idea is to raze the old County Courthouse in downtown Las Vegas, which was vacated last year upon the opening of the new Regional Justice Center. In its place he suggests the construction of a new police headquarters and the construction of a high-rise jail that would house 2,000 inmates.

This is a good starting point for a discussion among Las Vegas and Clark County officials about solving this critical space issue. Metro Police is jointly funded by the city and county, and both jurisdictions are projecting the need for more space in their jails.

The Clark County Detention Center poses the most critical need. On any given day the 2,859-bed facility has more than 3,200 inmates. The county also pays to house about 250 inmates at the jails in Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and Henderson. A new jail tower would provide at least temporary relief for the immediate future.

As for the sheriff's headquarters at City Hall, its space has not increased since 1973, when the city and county police departments merged to form Metro. At the time, there were 400 officers. Today Young oversees 5,000 officers and staff members.

It is clear that Young needs space to have most of his departments in one building near the regional courthouse, rather than scattered around the county. The 2.5-acre site that Young is recommending is already connected to the Regional Justice Center and Clark County Detention Center by underground tunnels, allowing for the secure transfer of jail inmates to court.

Our only concern is that the lot may be too small, and that some future sheriff will someday experience a similar space crunch. Studies of larger locations are under way and we hope they receive serious consideration. But the bottom line is that talks between the county and city to solve these space problems are finally taking place.

The need for new police and jail facilities is as great as was the need for a new county building 13 years ago. That was constructed without undue strain on taxpayers, and we believe the same would be true for these facilities.