[tijlover]

This latest Bill was recently approved by a 35-7 vote in the Assembly, and a 21-0 vote in the Senate, now goes for Sandoval's expected signing, then to the Clark County Commission for a final vote, which only requires a 2/3rd majority.

Sales tax increase will hopefully raise $39 million, $7.9 million going to the Las Vegas resort corridor for 66 new officers (you mean the casino's can't patrol their own properties????) and $31.3 million countywide for 245 officers.

My big worry, is where is the money going to come from for the pension funds down the road, and any police department is subject to lawsuits.

Let's hope those officers in the resort corridor have learned their lesson from that lawsuit filed by a Nurse who, provocatively dressed, was mistaken for a prostitute, costing Metro $80,000 from a lawsuit.

Our Sheriff wants the ratio of cops to citizenry to be 2.0, not 1.7, never mind the gated communities in the valley who can all but patrol their own communities.

So, with all those officers on the way, has the time arrived so we can safely keep the keys in the ignition of our unlocked cars, and keep our house doors unlocked?

What do you think of this? We need more officers, we don't need more officers, we should be laying off officers instead?

[BBMW]

Pension contribution should be made as part of the salary/benefits budget while the employee is working.

And every LE agency gets sued. It's just part of the deal. I'm sure the payouts are a fairly predictable annual amount, and it's budgeted for. In point of fact, the suits can take years to resolve, so the county should know pretty well in advance how much it will have to pay.

And with the spike in crime out there, a lot of people are probably screaming for more cops.

[robojester]

you mean the spike in crime in the media this numbers I find tell a different story?

Dueling Claims on Crime Trend

[EA]

I'd prefer to minimize my chances of being "accidentally" shot by tax payer funded morons.
I'd rather use the increase to provide adequate training to the cops we already have.
Just the basics like shoot last, not first.
Tell people why you are arresting them.
That we the people have a supreme court upheld right to shoot to death any cop who tries to arrest us without cause.
That we the people have 4th amendment rights.
Serve and protect not comply or die.

[Cold Warrior]

Our Sheriff wants the ratio of cops to citizenry to be 2.0, not 1.7

That can't be right.

[SoHoVe]

Yes, one can only hope that the funds are spent appropriately but I totally support the increase assuming it's all used for this purpose.

[lvmensch]

Cop density is half NY or Chicago. 2/3rds that of LA. Pay is also less. That likely leads to a higher crime rate.

The additions make little differrence.

Probably not a bad idea.

Crime rate is still quite low even though up a bit year over year. 3rd best of the last 20 or so. Too soon to tell if it is a trend or a limited spike.

[SoHoVe]

Before someone jumps on the cluster mess that Chicago is inspite of their additional percentage of police...MUCH of Chicago is reasonably to very safe for a city of its size, the issue is more that the few real problem areas are REALLY BAD.

[Throckmorton P. Ruddigore]

How many man-hours are wasted on consensual vices, and how many salaries would that add up to? I bet more than 300.

[delgadobb]

Originally Posted by BBMW

And with the spike in crime out there, a lot of people are probably screaming for more cops.

What spike in crime? Would love to see some credible information. My understanding is that crime has been trending downwards for quite some time - albeit there may be momentary upward blips.

I have no issue with improved funding if it actually goes to benefit citizens & Metro is held accountable. That said, my understanding is that they are already very well compensated compared to the rest of the country - that $7.9 million for 66 new officers in the resort corridor averages about $120,000 per officer. A good friend who has spent over 20 years in law enforcement has offered up (I didn't ask) that Metro has one of the less stellar reputations in law enforcement. My limited experience with them matches this description.

Case in point: While playing poker at a major strip casino, I had a jacket with an iPad & miscellaneous items of significant value (in the pockets) stolen. Casino policy would not allow me to view the video, but a poker supervisor confirmed they had watched the video (at my request) & confirmed the person who took my stuff was visible on video. Casino policy was to hand it off to Metro, so I did all the legwork & wrapped it up with a bow so all Metro had to do was show up & collect the video. Visited Metro in person to file the police report (multiple followups), made over a dozen followup calls & nothing - eventually I gave up. When I visited in person, I was assured the case merited investigation & would be pursued. I doubt staffing was the issue - numerous people were twiddling their thumbs each time I was there. They had plenty of information for an open & shut case & nobody bothered to show up.

Other interactions with Metro have had consistent themes: Extreme hubris along with a lack of followup. The amount of arrogance exhibited by officers I've encountered has been overwhelming ... and I'm a very laid-back guy with a spotless record. While I have no doubt there are some very good cops out there with Metro, I have not had the good fortune to find them as of yet.

The sales tax is already too high; let's hope the added revenue is spent judiciously within an improved system of checks & balances.