Monday, March 28, 2022 | 2 a.m.
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A new legislative audit regarding complaints of excessive force by Nevada Department of Corrections personnel paints a disturbing picture of a department not policing itself. The study calls out for Nevada lawmakers to step in and force accountability.
Among the findings of the yearlong audit, which were presented to a legislative subcommittee last week:
• In a sampling of 20 grievances of excessive force from 2021, 13 were not reviewed by the NDOC inspector general. That’s two-thirds of the sample.
• The seven complaints that were reviewed went unprocessed for an average of 274 days.
• In a sampling of 25 use-of-force incidents, the department didn’t convene a use-of-force panel to review nine of them. When panels were convened, their reviews were completed in an untimely manner — three months on average, with one incident taking 16 months to review. (Note: Excessive use of force involves force that exceeds the perceived threat level, while use-of-force reviews apply to the use of force for any purpose and in any situation.)
• Although the department spent $200,000 on body cameras for personnel, those cameras have gone unused.
“It’s really alarming to see the rate of grievances that were not reviewed properly or in a timely manner by the inspector general, or by the use-of-force review panel,” Assemblywoman Brittney Miller, D-Las Vegas, said during the subcommittee meeting.
The auditor made 16 recommendations for reforms, including new policies, training and requirements for review of grievances and use of cameras, and the good news is that NDOC agreed to implement all of them.
But lawmakers can’t let this be the end of the story. They must monitor the department closely to ensure it’s making progress on the issues.
Granted, 2021 was a grueling year for prison staffs due to the pandemic, which led to widespread staffing shortages in correctional facilities across the nation. Some amount of delays in launching or completing reviews would have been excusable.
But there’s nothing in the audit’s findings to suggest that the pandemic was a key factor in NDOC’s failings. This suggests that the problems are systemic, which begs for lawmakers to follow up on a regular basis to check for compliance.
Corrections officers have a tough job, one that requires them to occasionally use force. But the public rightfully expects them to do it in a responsible and appropriate manner. When officers do use force — and especially when they’re accused of going overboard — it’s critical for their actions to be reviewed and for the officers to be held accountable for any abuses.
