In case you missed us at your area command patrol briefings, we have some very important information to keep you informed. We are always trying to keep you updated on various topics through a variety of means. Please, if you are not receiving emails from the PPA, contact our office and we can check to ensure your information is accurate in the system. We also ask our Board of Directors from every area to report back to the members after Board meetings on important topics. If you are unsure of who your area representative is, they are listed on page 3. We also produce videos and a podcast to ensure important topics are discussed and you are kept informed. Most importantly, we are always available 24/7 for any calls or texts to answer questions.

I will summarize most of the topics we have been discussing in our patrol briefings.

Contract Negotiations

The final two years of our current four-year contract have been finalized. As you are aware, there was an increase in your contribution to PERS of .75. We negotiated with LVMPD, City of Las Vegas and Clark County and agreed on a high and low COLA cap based on CPI (simply put, the average costs of goods, products and services that are calculated in a regional area). The floor for COLAs will be 2%, again based on CPI, and the ceiling will be 3%, again based on CPI. This year’s COLA will be 3%, and the final year’s COLA will be determined at the end of the year based on CPI. Clothing allowance and Health and Welfare contributions will remain the same. You will also receive a one-time nonpensionable payment of $750. If you have questions on contract negotiations or would like to take part in them in the future, please contact Scott Nicholas or Dan Coyne.

Body-Worn Cameras

As always, the topic of body-worn cameras is always important. They are a very valuable tool not only to record evidence, but for transparency and showing exactly what you do on a daily basis to protect and serve the community. Please keep your camera activated and recording the entire event. Policy allows several exemptions as to when your body-worn camera may be deactivated during a call. Again, we cannot stress it enough, the camera helps clear and exonerate you and provides empirical evidence to what exactly occurred. Keep your body-worn camera on and activated; let it be your witness. If the battery dies, immediately notify your supervisor, document it and get a replacement camera.

Davidroger.us

David Roger, the former three-time elected Clark County district attorney, is a valuable asset to our membership. His mission is to provide the membership with the best legal advice and opinions. Roger continues to film videos providing his legal opinion on various topics. Again, if you are not receiving his videos, please contact our office. All of his videos are on his website at davidroger.us and also on the LVPPA’s YouTube page. Also on the website is a digital copy of the criminal offense handbook and traffic citation guide. If you have any legal questions or scenarios you would like to get Roger’s opinion on, please call him or email him at droger@lvppa.com.

Slowing the Momentum

Hot topic words and phrases such as “slowing the momentum on calls,” “de-escalation,” “assembling resources” and “depolicing,” what do they mean to you? Let’s be clear, in the last legislative session, the Nevada Legislature passed laws designed to create depolicing and limit police powers — handcuffing what officers may do. Jaywalking has been decriminalized, and instantly everywhere we are seeing the impacts of not being able to enforce a law that saved lives. The politicians believed jaywalking was a means for officers to harass citizens and did nothing more than create police encounters. The lives that will be lost due to lack of jaywalking enforcement and education are on the hands of these very politicians. How many lives need to be lost? When we talk about slowing the momentum and de-escalation, again, we have to police within policy and law. This has always happened throughout policing, and with any law or policy change we have always pivoted and adjusted our tactics and training and worked within policy and law. We are encouraging you to have squad-level discussions on these topics and preplan squad-level responses. While you are en route to calls, preplan, gather resources, establish roles and responsibilities, engage your supervisors and follow the excellent training you have received.

Politics

In several months, the membership will be receiving two very important emails. One will be regarding the endorsement for the office of governor of Nevada. You will be asked who you would like the PPA to endorse for governor. The vote email will come with a link that will take you to a page where you select the name of the person you would like to endorse. It will literally take 30 seconds to complete. Once the votes are tallied, we will take the total to our coalition. The PPA belongs to a coalition of law enforcement associations in Nevada, and we have the largest membership in the group. We will present our recommendation and together deliberate on the endorsement for governor. The second email will be regarding the LVMPD sheriff’s race. Again, you will receive an email link with the same vote link. The membership will completely control the endorsement. Whichever candidate has the most votes from the membership will receive the endorsement from the PPA.

If you have any questions on these topics or anything else at all, please call any one of us at any time. Thank you for your membership. Please continue doing the excellent job that you have been doing and be safe!