In May, LVPPA members traveled to Washington, D.C., during National Police Week to pay tribute to our brothers and sisters who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. This year, LVMPD Corrections Officer Victor Antoine Hunter was added to the wall of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial and honored at the Candlelight Vigil and other events. Officer Hunter suffered a medical emergency on September 16, 2011, after responding to a code red emergency at the Clark County Detention Center. When a fight erupted between two inmates, he ran up three flights of stairs and separated the inmates. Two hours later, he felt ill, clutching his chest and vomiting. A nurse administered anti-nausea medicine and sent him home. He was traveling home, southbound on Main Street, when he hit a vehicle in front of him, spun his tires and crashed into a concrete wall at the corner of Main Street and Bonneville Avenue. He was transported to University Medical Center, where he died. Officer Hunter had served with the LVMPD for four years and was survived by his wife and two children.

While in D.C., we were also proud to recognize LVMPD Officers Joseph A. Belmonte and Rudy Sacba, who received an honorable mention award at the National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO) Top Cops Awards Ceremony on May 12. Officers Belmonte and Sacba responded to a domestic disturbance incident on August 25, 2023, that began when Sandra Lopez-Ochoa and her brother got into a violent argument over McDonald’s dipping sauce. Sandra grabbed her brother, threw him to the ground and began strangling him. Luckily, Sandra’s mother was able to help her son free himself from Sandra’s powerful grip, and minutes later called 9-1-1 to report the incident. Belmonte and Sacba arrived at the apartment shortly after the call was made. Belmonte acted as the contact officer and began to calmly speak to Sandra while Sacba stood near the door as the cover officer. As Belmonte continued speaking to Sandra, she suddenly stood up and pulled out a knife, lunging at him and stabbing him in the top of his head. She then turned to Sacba and tried to stab him as well. Sacba was able to raise his service firearm in time and discharge five rounds, fatally striking Sandra and ending the threat. Belmonte received immediate medical attention and thankfully has recovered fully from his head wound. We thank Officers Belmonte and Sacba for their courage and for putting their safety and well-being in harm’s way to protect our community.