Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Panel addresses police use of force in Las Vegas

Police De-escalation Panel at the Mob Museum

Christopher DeVargas

Alma Chavez, whose son Rafael Olives was shot and killed by Metro Police in 2011, speaks about the use of deadly force by police officers during a panel on police de-escalation at the Mob Museum, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019.

Police De-escalation Panel at the Mob Museum

Addie C. Rollick, professor of law at UNLV Boyd School of Law, asks Metro Captain Nichole Splinter a question regarding police procedures during a panel on police de-escalation use of force at the Mob Museum, Tuesday Nov. 12, 2019. Launch slideshow »

Alma Chavez's sorrow was apparent on her tear-soaked face and with the urgent tone in her voice. When the microphone made its way to the grieving mother Wednesday during a discussion at the Mob Museum in downtown Las Vegas about deadly force by Metro Police, Chavez took the opportunity to speak up. It's been eight years since her son's death, and she continues to grieve.  

Chavez's son, Rafael Olivas, was in the midst of an emotional episode in 2011. Fearing he would hurt himself, she called 911. That decision turned tragic when officers opened fire on Olivas, who, according to police accounts, approached them while wielding a butcher knife he refused to drop. 

"I raised that boy for 23 years," Chavez told Metro Capt. Nichole Splinter. "He was not a gang member. He was not on drugs. He was a good kid."

Chavez asked, "Why do officers always have to say they fear for their lives as a reason for shooting?" 

Those are some of the questions Splinter attempted to address at the Police De-Escalation: Reducing Force and Building Community Trust event hosted by UNLV's William S. Boyd Law School.  

Splinter said Metro reformed its use-of-force policies following recommendations by the U.S. Justice Department in 2012 after a string of controversial use-of-force incidents around the time Olivas was gunned down.  

"I'm painfully aware of the history of policing practices in this country, which have led to a disproportionate attention to minority communities," Splinter said. "That's a scar that we all have to live with and it's not OK."

Metro shot 22 suspects in 2018, Splinter said. When department supervisors saw a decrease in their officers using less-lethal weapons, they pushed out more training and re-emphasized de-escalation techniques. As a result, Splinter said police shootings were down about a third this year.

Nissa Tzun is skeptical. 

Tzun, an activist and co-founder of an independent media company that highlights stories of so-called officer abuse, sees a country — particularly in places like Las Vegas — blighted by "police brutality."

Tzun said the issue is compounded by poor education, a lack of mental health services, homelessness, and a police department that increasingly responds to calls dealing with the indigent. 

The crowd of a few dozen grew animated when Tzun brought up Byron Williams, who died after a foot chase with Metro in September. Methamphetamine intoxication killed the 50-year-old, but a restraint used by an officer contributed to his death, which was ruled a homicide, according to the Clark County Coroner's Office. Splinter said she couldn't comment on the case. 

Tzun said she has regular contact with people who allege suffering abuse at the hands of Las Vegas police. She said the justice system hadn't indicted a police officer here in the past 30 years.

When a teenager asked the panel if he should be afraid to encounter officers while out at night, Tzun cynically said, "don't walk around at night and expect proper respect and treatment from police."

After the event, a man in the audience complained that the event had "nothing to do with de-escalation" and the discussion was agenda-driven. 

For Chavez, it was an opportunity to work toward change. She is a regular at police protests and events in which the agency discusses policies. She always carries a printout of her son's portrait.

"What's different between 2011 and now?," she asked.