Officers to be assigned to guard Miller, family

CARSON CITY -- There's been a change of heart in providing 24-hour protection for Gov. Bob Miller and his family in Las Vegas.

Col. Mike Hood, chief of the Nevada Highway Patrol, said today two officers from the Dignitary Protection Unit in Carson City, will be transferred to Las Vegas for security at the private home of the first family.

More than a month ago, Miller and his family moved out of the governor's mansion in Carson City, which has an eight-member unit of highway patrol officers giving 24-hour protection. The mansion is undergoing a $3 million renovation and is vacant except for the construction crews during the day.

"With all the press, it brought a lot of attention," to the fact there was no security at the governor's private home in Las Vegas, Hood said, adding that as a result, two officers from Carson City will be temporarily transferred, and they will join two other patrolmen in Las Vegas for the job.

"With four people we should be able to cover for a few weeks without wearing them down too bad," Hood said.

In 1995, Miller asked the Legislature for money to create the unit to provide security for his family. The yearly budget for the Carson City protection is more than $600,000.

Gordon Absher, Miller's press secretary said today, "We're not talking about security. It's our policy not to give out details. The governor has never discussed it."

"He (Miller) and his family are protected to his satisfaction."

Absher said earlier this week that the protection unit at the mansion was still busy, and his office receives several calls a week from them. He suggested it was necessary to keep them in Carson City to guard against vandals that might try to steal a "cool souvenir" from the mansion while construction is under way.

There's a 6-foot chain link fence around the mansion that is locked at night when the construction crews are gone.

Hood said previously no officer was transferred to Las Vegas because of budget limitations. The patrol will have to provide per diem pay to those officers on temporary duty.

Instead of working 12-hour shifts, the two officers will be on eight-hour shifts to avoid overtime. And the two already in Las Vegas will fill in. He said there is some leeway in the budget because of savings.

And he's looking at three plans on how to provide security for the First Family until January when a new governor takes over.

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