Sun editorial: Without required resources, police can do only so much

Monday, Feb. 9, 2015 | 2 a.m.

Drunken driving arrests by Metro Police have dropped significantly over the past few years.

As reported in last week’s edition of The Sunday, Metro Police made more than 7,700 DUI arrests in 2012. A year later, the number fell to about 5,800, and in 2014, it was fewer than 4,750.

But that doesn’t mean fewer drinkers are getting behind the wheel. Sheriff Joe Lombardo attributed the drop to fewer officers patrolling the streets.

“DUI is still in the same position on the priority list that it’s always been,” Lombardo said. “It’s just that if you have fewer people addressing it, you’re going to have fewer arrests.”

That is a problem, given the damage and deaths drivers under the influence can do on the streets.

Some good news

Although it is the largest police agency in the state, Metro isn’t the only department patrolling our roadways. The Nevada Highway Patrol saw an increase in DUI arrests from 1,834 in 2012 to 2,265 last year.

The bad news

The net number of DUI arrests by Metro and NHP, however, still is down about 2,700 from 2012 through 2014.

Drunken drivers just aren’t being caught as frequently as in the past.

Yet, alcohol is available all the time in Sin City, as attorney James Martines, a former DUI prosecutor, noted.

“It’s just the nature of the city,” Martines said. “This is what we sell.”

And what we trade in as a party town, and consume in our homes, can be deadly. In 2011, there were 37 alcohol-related fatalities in Clark County. Last year, there were 60.

What’s ahead

So what can be done?

This is a regional problem, not just a Metro issue. And although police departments work together for special patrols and checkpoints, that’s not enough.

Some critics have called for Metro and other agencies to be more efficient. But while any organization can be more efficient, Metro can be efficient only with what it has. The fact is, Metro doesn’t have enough resources to deal with the problem.

Metro saw an authorized strength of 2,981 officers in 2009 drop to 2,555 officers last year. The police force went from about two officers for every 1,000 residents to 1.74 officers per 1,000 residents. When the number of tourists is factored in, the ratio drops further.

Other local agencies also have seen a drop in the number of sworn police officers and have responded by trimming nonessential services.

Metro stopped sending officers to fender-benders and routine car crashes to keep officers on the street, and in theory, to enable them to pay more attention to more serious problems, including drunken drivers. However, with the drop in the number of officers, police simply can’t do it all.

Bottom line

It is clear that police agencies need more officers on the street, but politicians have failed to provide local law enforcement the money it needs to protect the public. For example, the County Commission last year balked at a plan that would have increased sales tax less than a quarter of a cent to pay for police officers.

Given that drunken driving remains a persistent problem, the County Commission should revisit that decision and arm police agencies with the money they need. The bottom line is this is a public-safety issue, and police need resources to combat it.