In an unprecedented move, the Metropolitan Police Department is asking its plain-clothed officers and detectives to work at least one two-week patrol rotation over the next few months — a quick fix for a cop shortage in the midst of a 25-percent spike in violent valley crime this year.
And many of those men and women are uneasy about it.
“A number of our people are calling us from our associations with some legitimate concerns,” said Lt. John Faulis, chairman of the Las Vegas Police Managers and Supervisors Association. “Let me make it clear: They are not afraid to do this. They are policemen at heart. They can handle this. But some of them have been out of the urban policing model for a very long time, and now we’re just throwing these detectives back on the street.”
He explained that patrol officers returning from family leave or military deployment go through brief modified training, in which they are reintroduced to the patrol environment. But this measure was announced last week without warning, and he said none of those asked to work the shifts will receive any updated training.
“It’s already happened,” he said. “It’s already been happening for several shifts.”
Many also don’t have stun guns. Or uniforms.