Metro presents enhanced report on Clark County jail deaths after Sun probe

A Las Vegas Sun probe that found none of the five jails in Clark County were adhering to a state oversight law has forced officials to update their methods in accountability reporting.

That includes Metro Police, which on Tuesday presented its biannual report on in-custody deaths to the Clark County Commission as required by Assembly Bill 301.

Prior to the Sun’s April 7 story, Metro was the only department in Southern Nevada to release its reporting, but the data lacked required information by the bill such as times and causes of prisoner deaths.

The department took the first steps Tuesday toward enhancing their reporting when Metro Deputy Chief Fred Haas presented updates to jail population, programs and in-custody deaths. Haas credited the Sun for its updated in-custody death analysis, saying the April article brought the issue to the department’s attention.

Metro Police denied the Sun’s public records request in May for the names and causes of deaths, saying “only aggregate data” could be released due to federal data collection law. Metro did not respond to multiple requests for appeal or comment on why the data could not be provided or to clarify why the department believed the federal law applied.

AB 301 passed unanimously in the Nevada Legislature in 2019 to create a system of accountability for jails — but until April, most government officials in Clark County had no knowledge of the law. Since then, all but one of the five jails have released official reports. Mesquite Police have not released any reports, despite claiming in a statement to the Sun that they would submit them to their city council by July.

Since AB 301 was enacted, in-custody deaths in Clark County have doubled, from nine in 2019 to 18 in 2023.

The increase has been almost entirely led by the Clark County Detention Center, the largest jail in the state, housing well over 50,000 inmates every year. Since 2019, nearly 50 people have died at the Detention Center, according to data provided to the Sun by Metro.

In addition to the biannual reports, jail officials are also required to submit notices to county commissions or city councils within 48 hours of every in-custody death, including a brief description of the incident, cause of death and whether force was used in the incident.

Tuesday’s presentation by Haas provided brief descriptions of the circumstances surrounding six in-custody deaths so far this year. Two of the deaths were suspects who were booked in absentia, meaning they never were placed in the jail.

One died from injuries sustained in a car crash, and the other died in a hospital where they were arrested after attacking a nurse and were never transported to the jail.

A seventh death occurred this week after a woman in Metro custody reportedly died of natural causes, according to sources familiar with the incident.

The number of deaths in Metro’s custody at the same time in both 2022 and 2023 was higher. The decrease could turn into the first yearly decrease in deaths at the detention center in almost five years, even as the total bookings for 2024 are estimated to surpass 60,000 for the first time since 2021.

None of the six deaths in 2024 were caused by suicide, which is the leading nonnatural cause of death among inmates, according to the Department of Justice. This marks the second reporting period in a row without a recorded suicide, which Haas described as a “big win” for the detention center.

Metro’s 48-hour reports to the commissioners also indicate to officials whether force was used during any incidents, which is not a requirement of AB 301. While none of the reports explicitly mention the use of force on inmates, two reports — including one from March — omit lines specifying that force was not used.

The March death where the use-of-force language was omitted was of 34-year-old Ronald Stampley. Haas said Tuesday that Stampley was agitated before being removed from his cell by officers and placed in a medical housing cell, where he later died.

The cause of Stampley’s death was not listed in either the 48-hour report or the Tuesday presentation. Officials wrote they are still awaiting a coroner’s report.

The biannual reports presented at meetings are even more crucial because of how Metro writes its notifications to the county commission. The 48-hour report form includes a section specifically labeled for cause of death to be identified, however every form lists the same: “pending coroner’s report.”

The new descriptions provided by Haas are the most detailed data from Metro about the deaths; the department does not provide media releases for in-custody deaths caused by suicide or medical incidents.

Reporting deficiencies of in-custody death have not been standard practice elsewhere in the state. The sheriff’s offices in Washoe County and Carson City have been submitting biannual reports to their respective county commissions since the bill’s passing as required.

The Carson City Sheriff submits its 48-hour reports — which include cause of death — under their commission presentations, allowing them to be accessed without a records request. The practice, however, is not a requirement by law.

Elsewhere in Southern Nevada, officials from Henderson Detention Center and Las Vegas Detention Center submitted biannual reports to their city councils for the first time in May, also in reaction to the Sun’s investigation.

Both departments submitted reports that detailed not only causes of death from the six months prior, but for all in-custody deaths since AB 301’s passing, retroactively correcting their lack of reports.

Seven people have died in Henderson jail since 2019, five of which were caused by suicide, which is the most common non-natural cause of death for offenders, according to the Department of Justice. Twenty-one people have died in the Las Vegas Detention Center since 2016, 13 of which were after AB 301’s implementation, which the city provided details for.

At least 10 people have died in Southern Nevada jails this year so far, according to public records from various departments, including the six at the Clark County Detention Center.

Despite Metro’s previously muddled track record, Haas said the department was committed to transparency and moving forward with reports and improving the county’s incarceration system. One such initiative presented during the meeting: the rollout of social workers inside the detention center. The first worker has already started, and two more will start by the end of the month, specifically aimed at assisting offenders with housing or drug-addiction problems.

Commissioners expressed appreciation for the added information on the presentation. Clark County Commissioner Michael Naft noted he had asked about the in-custody death data during “almost every” quarterly report Metro provides to the commission.

“The synopsis that you’ve provided on the in-custody deaths is really helpful — and one ensuring transparency, but demonstrating the full picture,” said during the meeting. “It’s really good to have, and hopefully demonstrates to the community the willingness to be transparent.”

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