Police2000 was a year of bestowed honors and accomplishments for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Top cops, proud police, and outstanding officers were honored in the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department this year. They are the recipients of not one, but several top awards given to departments throughout the country annually.In 1973, the Clark County Sheriff's Department and the Las Vegas Police Department merged to form the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. With jurisdiction in the city of Las Vegas and unincorporated Clark County, the department is the largest police agency in Nevada and the 11th largest police jurisdiction in America. Covering approximately 7,500 square miles, the department has over 3,800 employees with almost 2,000 commissioned police officers, 650 commissioned corrections officers and 1,250 civilians. They are responsible for a population of just over one million residents and over 32 million tourists each year.Any police department that deals with an excess of 32 million tourists annually is going to be faced with some tough challenges. The Las Vegas area is also the fastest growing metropolitan area in the United States with its population nearly tripling since 1988. Simply providing enough officers to accommodate the population of both residents and visitors required the levy of a special property tax. Voters approved the tax in 1996 enabling an additional 450 officers to be hired over the course of five years. To hire and train these new officers and keep pace with attrition, 21-week academies are conducted twice a year with approximately 100 officers attending each session. Extensive field training follows completion of the academy.
Considering the substantial number of officers in Las Vegas and the constant influx of people to the area, it is a perpetually active territory for the department to oversee. That is why their win last year in the Best Dressed Police Department Competition is quite an impressive accomplishment. The annual competition, sponsored by the National Association of Uniform Manufacturers and Distributors (NAUMD) is now in its 24th year and honors departments whose uniforms represent the ideal law enforcement standards of dress. Neatness, professionalism, projection of authority, practicality, and adherence to uniform regulations are all taken into account in the overall appearance of the department. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department won top honors in the "City Over 200 Officers" category. "We are proud and honored for this department to be recognized as one of the best dressed police departments in the country. We pride ourselves on appearance because we believe that is the foundation for earning the respect and cooperation of the community we partner with and serve," relates Sheriff Jerry Keller. "Every member of this department complies fully with the meticulous personal appearance and uniform standards to present the best 'first' and 'lasting' impression possible."
The basic patrol uniform has remained the department staple through the years with the exception of one minor change. For added warmth, a dickey replaces a tie during the winter months. The uniformed personnel are issued a full set of summer and winter uniforms. The summer uniform consists of a short-sleeved, open-neck, light tan shirt and tan durable wool trousers with a contrasting dark green stripe. The winter uniform includes dark green wool shirts, worn open-collar with an embroidered black dickey, and tan durable wool trousers with a dark green stripe. On formal occasions, the winter shirt is worn with a light tan tie instead of the dickey.
All officers, regardless of rank, wear the same uniform. Rank is distinguished by sergeant stripes on the sleeve and gold collar rank insignia: single bar for lieutenant, two bars for captain, one star for commander, two stars for deputy chief, three stars for undersheriff and four stars for sheriff. Also, service stripes are authorized for the winter shirt with each stripe representing four years of service to the department.
In addition to their impressive duty uniforms, many of their specialized units also caught the judges' eyes, one of which is their Bicycle Detail unit. Most recently updated of the specialized units, with new short- and long-sleeved shirts, the apparel has been specifically designed for bicycle wear. These shirts replaced yellow T-shirts of past years and allow the officers to present a much more professional police presence. Spandex bicycle shorts and long pants are worn with brightly colored yellow shirts together with yellow and black all-weather coats. "METRO POLICE" appears in bold black lettering on the back of all shirts and coats with sewn-on department shoulder patches. A silver bicycle helmet bearing the "POLICE" label on both sides completes the Bicycle Detail uniforms.
The Air Support/Search and Rescue officers serving as pilots and air crew wear sage green NOMEXª flame retardant flight suits, gloves, and coats. The Search and Rescue unit is also staffed with a wide range of volunteer specialists who are outfitted in green tactical uniforms and the same heavyweight, yellow and black coat issued to Bicycle Patrol members.
The Mounted Police unit officers are clad in the newest uniform issue of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. It is essentially identical to that worn by traffic officers, but there is a slight difference in the helmet, which is designed for horseback, not motorcycle riding, and their riding breeches are constructed from fabric that allows for more stretch.
Among some of the other specialized units are the SWAT team, the Detention Services division, K-9 Detail, and the Transportation Safety Bureau. These uniforms and equipment specifically suit the needs of each individual unit. All officers in the specialized units are subjected to the same rigorous uniform standards and meticulous personal appearance guidelines as the standard duty uniformed officers.
Law and Order Magazine also recognized the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department for having one of the nation's top law enforcement agency Web sites. The site, www.lvmpd.com, won first place in the "More than 50 Officers" category of the annual competition. The submitted Web sites were judged according to five main criteria which include: overall design, ease of navigation, usefulness, innovative ideas and degree of technology.
The amount of quality information available coupled with the speed at which data can be retrieved really makes the site stand out from its competition. The judges also liked the fact that the graphics were clean and well-designed and were especially impressed with the innovative online store for souvenir collectors, something they were seeing for the first time on a police site.
"The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department will protect the people, property, and rights in our community and ensure that Las Vegas is the safest tourist destination in the United States." This is the department's mission statement and the first thing you see when visiting the home page. The site is divided into five sections including current news, neighborhoods, traffic safety, tourist safety and a "Most Wanted" section, with a kid's area scheduled to make its debut shortly. Impressively, all of the pages can be translated into Spanish with the click of a button.
Apart from the department awards this year, an individual officer was also honored for his off-duty heroic efforts. The National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO)* named Officer Dennis Devitte one of the nation's "Top Cops" this year for his quick thinking and bravery.
Devitte was spending an off-duty evening at a popular sports restaurant when three gunmen burst in and began randomly firing into the crowd after announcing their robbery intention. Being the only armed policeman in the bar, but carrying only a small-caliber off-duty pistol, Devitte took immediate action. He engaged one of the gunmen in a shootout, while the other two fled. In the end, Devitte was on the receiving end of eight gunshot wounds leaving him seriously injured, but he managed to mortally wound the offender.
The "Top Cops" awards are to police officers what the Oscars are to actors. The award pays tribute to law enforcement officers from across the country for outstanding service to their communities. They are nominated by fellow officers and then selected from hundreds of nominations by an awards committee. The "Hollywood-style" event even includes award presentations by celebrities from many of television's top law enforcement programs such as Law & Order, Third Watch and Homicide: Life on the Street.
"The men and women of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department have a commitment to being 'partners with the community,' " notes Sheriff Keller. From their recognition this year it is evident that their strides in this area have been significant. Professionalism, a positive public image and a goal to achieve the highest standards are the driving forces of this department and an example for others to follow.
* NAPO is a Washington D.C.-based coalition of police unions and associations from across the United States that serve to advance the interests of America's law enforcement officers through legislative measures and education. They represent more than 4,000 police unions and associations, 225,000 sworn law enforcement officers, 11,000 retired officers and more than 100,000 citizens who realize the importance of proper crime control and effective law enforcement.
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