Vegas Beat Magazine

May/June 2023

The Myth of the “Best Trained Department in the Country”

This article is going to talk about what I feel is the myth surrounding LVMPD being the best-trained police department in the country. While I do not feel our training is anywhere near where it should be, this does not mean we do not start out as one of the best-trained departments in the country. I believe that the instruction and training that our officers get in the Academy are... Read More »

Our Officers Deserve Respect From Leadership

As time passes and we begin to work with the new sheriff and hear his plans for the new wellness bureau and hope his vision becomes a reality for all of our officers to be cared for moving forward, I began to reflect on some of the horrible treatment I’ve personally experienced in my career and how impactful some of the memories can be when officers are mistreated by disgusting... Read More »

Random Important Refresher Points

Instead of focusing my thoughts on just one topic, I wanted to hit on many different important topics and points that I feel need to be emphasized. A lot of these topics or ideas come from things we see or hear from our membership. When completing a use-of-force report, there are many key points to remember. First and foremost is that this is an official investigation into your... Read More »

Supervise With Humanity

I recently attended the State of the Department address at the Smith Center. Since the election and the new regime has assumed power, I have heard a lot of things that are reasons for excitement. It’s like the days leading up to Christmas — you have all these high hopes, and you have made that list of the things you want. Everyone can relate in some fashion to the anticipation... Read More »

Leadership Has Little to Do With Rank

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department is a large police department with an essential command structure that allows the organization to run efficiently on a daily basis. To achieve the needed command structure, LVMPD runs a testing process to fill these positions. Through this process, those of us at Metro have seen true leaders promote and also examples of folks who took... Read More »

I’m Excited to Make a Difference

Greetings, I hope this finds you well. I am the most recent addition to the LVPPA Executive Board, and I would like to use this opportunity to introduce myself. I started my law enforcement career in September 2002 with the Milwaukee Police Department. After five years with the MPD, I relocated to Las Vegas and entered the LVMPD Academy in 2008. I completed field training at South... Read More »

Is the Employee Benefit Trust Working for You?

A lot of you probably don’t know much about the Employee Benefit Trust or even that you pay into it out of every paycheck — but you do. If you look at the top right-hand of your paystub, you will see LVMEBT — RHS, and the amount of $70.46 is deducted. This is the amount that you pay every check to the trust. When you have paid a total of 20 years into the trust, you will have... Read More »

A Day in the Life of a Police Union Lobbyist

The 82nd Nevada Legislative Session is my first session where I am in the legislative building every day. My day typically starts around 7 a.m. and ends around 5:30 p.m. I attend several committee meetings every day and spend my days walking the four floors, meeting with Nevada’s legislators and the many other lobbyists who occupy this building, all vying for time with elected... Read More »

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