Ex-Sheriff Moran Dies

John Moran, who as sheriff spearheaded dramatic crime rate decreases amid Las Vegas' booming growth from the early 1980s through the mid-1990s, died today. He was 75.

Moran, who retired Dec. 31, 1994, after 12 years as sheriff, died at a local hospital following a lengthy bout with cancer.

Services are pending.

"John Moran was a great man and a great sheriff," Las Vegas Mayor Jan Laverty Jones said. "As a new mayor, never having before been in politics, he always had an open door for me.

"In the West Las Vegas riots (of April 1992 in the wake of the Rodney King verdict), he worked with me to reach a solution that calmed the situation, not aggravate it."

Jones described Moran as "fair and honest. He was exceedingly loyal to his men. When he felt they were being unfairly treated, he always stood up for them."

Former County Commissioner Paul Christensen said "it's a sad day," when told this morning of Moran's death.

"He was a law enforcement officer who dedicated his life to it," said Christensen, who was a city councilman in 1973 when the Las Vegas Police Department and Clark County Sheriff's Office merged into Metro.

"He was always looking out for his troops. I will personally miss him. He was a very good guy."

Moran has been out of the limelight in recent years, but he recently issued a statement giving his endorsement to longtime friend Bobby Hitt, who is trying to unseat Sheriff Jerry Keller, who preceded Moran as sheriff in 1994.

"He (Hitt) will have the ability, knowledge and experience to bring our community safely into the 21st century," Moran was quoted as saying in the news release dated June 1 -- a day when Moran was in the hospital and said to be in grave condition.

"There is a deep void in my life, and an even bigger void in his family's lives," Hitt said. "He was not only a great man; he was also a friend and a leader.

"He led by example, not by fear, and never asked of his officers anything he wouldn't do himself. He never lied to the public. He was in poor health, but his mind was sharp as a tack even up to the end."

In 1979, three years before Moran became sheriff, the FBI rated Las Vegas as the nation's worst crime city with 9,982 crimes -- murder, rape, robbery, assault, larceny and car theft, per 100,000 people.

By 1992, Las Vegas had dipped to a more respected 80th out of 300 cities with 6,588 major crimes per 100,000 people -- much of that credited with Moran's leadership.

During Moran's tenure, Clark County nearly doubled in population from about 507,500 in 1982 to nearly 1 million in late 1994. When Moran became sheriff, the department had 1,500 employees. When he left, the police and civilian force numbered 2,414.

The department' operating budget in 1982 was $50 million. When he left, it was $135 million.

Moran listed among his proudest moments Metro becoming one of 364 law enforcement agencies nationwide to be accredited in 1989 and '94 by the the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.

His other major accomplishments included starting the local police academy, helicopter program, major case squad, recruiting unit, 911 system, search-and-rescue unit, bike patrol, use-of-force review board, citizens academy and several community-oriented policing programs.

Amid his sparkling accomplishments, Moran had to wrestle with dark problems ranging from disciplining rogue cops to dealing with criticism of having a lack of minorities on the force.

His toughest days as sheriff perhaps came in July 1990 when three of his police officers entered the apartment of casino worker Charles Bush without a warrant.

Bush died during a struggle with the officers and Metro eventually had to shell out $1.1 million to Bush's survivors for the incident.

On the night he won the 1990 primary, Moran passionately defended police in general by saying: "Sometimes officers make mistakes because they are human. They also are members of this community with children and homes. They are not an alien force.

"When mistakes have been made, we have always punished officers in a manner we thought was proper."

Born Sept. 22, 1922, in San Fernando, Calif., Moran was the son of working class folks of Greek descent.

He was one of the nation's top javelin throwers at the University of Arizona and had dreams of competing in the Olympics, which were canceled because of World War II.

In 1941, the tall and athletic Moran enlisted in the Marines.

"He was a tough Marine, good cop and a most loyal friend," said Sun Executive Editor Mike O'Callaghan, a former Marine. "He still holds a special place in the hearts of the men he fought during World War II."

O'Callaghan a former two-term Nevada governor, had, at Moran's invitation, addressed reunions of the Fourth Marine Division. Moran, who fought at Iwo Jima, earned a battlefield commission and left the Marines at the rank of captain.

After the war, Moran married Goldie Shetakis in Modesto, Calif. They moved to Las Vegas in 1947 to run a food distribution business with Goldie's brother.

The business could not support both families so Moran joined the 48-man Las Vegas Police Department in November 1948 as a patrolman and worked his way up through the ranks.

He quit the force in 1960 to start his own security business. But, in 1963, Moran was hired by Sheriff Ralph Lamb and worked for him for nearly a year before becoming a deputy chief with the LVPD.

When the two departments merged, Moran became an undersheriff to Lamb.

When Lamb lost to John McCarthy in 1978, Moran stayed on as undersheriff. However, in 1980, McCarthy fired him for alleged criticisms Moran made toward McCarthy and his administration.

Moran went to court to and won reinstatement. On his first day back, Moran resigned and launched his bid for sheriff. In the 1982 election, he unseated McCarthy, gathering 61 percent of the vote.

Moran was twice reelected with little opposition.

At the time of his retirement, many friends correctly predicted that Moran would never again seek political office because he was a law man, not a politician.

Among his survivors are his wife and a son, local attorney, John Moran Jr. A complete list of survivors was not available at presstime.

SUN REPORTERS Karen Zekan and Jeff Schweers contributed to this report.

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