Las Vegas Sun

March 18, 2024

Steady spike in homicides brings new Metro focus on violent crime

Sheriff Joseph Lombardo Interview

L.E. Baskow

Interview with Sheriff Joseph Lombardo of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) on Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016.

The number of slayings Metro Police detectives have investigated since 2013 has increased on an average of about 20 each year, according to Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo and department figures.

With the increase, including the 166 homicides investigated last year, which was the highest number in 20 years, Lombardo announced that stemming violent crime again was the department's top priority this year.

Although Las Vegas' population in 1996 — when the previous record was set at 156 homicides — was about half of what it is currently, the figure doesn't put Lombardo or Metro at ease.

The sheriff announced the agency’s achievements and goals to Metro leadership staff, officers and volunteers on Wednesday during his state of the department speech at the Smith Center’s Cabaret Jazz room.

Other goals include staffing more 311 operators, improving the report-taking process, negotiating a possible future substation and funding for the north valley detention center, Lombardo said.

Lombardo’s speech came on the heels of Tuesday’s public announcement that Metro's gang unit would again be centralized and conjoined with a vice bureau.

The gang unit was decentralized in 2015 along with other bureaus. For the most part, decentralization has been successful strategy, but the efforts of gang investigators fell short due to lack of staffing, Lombardo said.

“If it’s not working, it’s not working,” Lombardo said, noting that having more officers, which is expected to be the case in the next several years, would've proved successful.

The new gang and vice unit will tackle the increasing gang activity and other crimes those suspects undertake, such as running other criminal enterprises, including prostitution, Lombardo said. The bureau is expected to be properly staffed, and Lombardo foresees it having success.

About shortfalls in staffing of the 311 department, Lombardo said the agency was aiming to ease call times by hiring at least 40 more people. The sheriff said he had received reports of some callers having to wait up to an hour and a half to speak to an operator.

Lombardo also hopes to further talks with the Howard Hughes Corp. regarding partnering to build a police station in Summerlin in the next few years.

And he will also go to local officials about funding at the North Valley Complex detention center. That's because the Clark County Detention Center is so crowded that police can't book some lower-level criminals who normally would be detained.

In his speech, Lombardo also emphasized some of the department's accomplishments, including the agency's ability, through the public information office, to better promote the department, the perceived support from the community and a U.S. Justice Department report that praised Metro's leadership, tactics of de-escalation, as well as a notable decrease in officer-involved shootings.

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