LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill credit his management for a drop in violent crime, however in an unique interview with the 8 Information Now Investigators, he provides that the rising variety of individuals dying on Las Vegas roads is unacceptable.
Voters first elected McMahill to his place main the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Division in 2022. He received the June major outright, securing him the job, which he took in January 2023. Final week, McMahill introduced he would run for a second time period.
“I think it’s pretty simple,” McMahill stated about why voters ought to re-elect him. “I told them what I was going to do, and I’ve done it.”
From October 2024 to final week, homicides in Metro’s jurisdiction have dropped 31%, in line with the newest information from the division. Property crimes, similar to robberies and thefts, have declined by 13% October to October.
A number of proposals within the Nevada Legislature aimed toward curbing harmful and impaired driving failed, leaving LVMPD Sheriff Kevin McMahill pissed off as extra individuals in his jurisdiction die on valley roads. (KLAS)
Nonetheless, deadly crashes are outpacing their quantity from final 12 months. In accordance with the sheriff, 160 individuals died inside Metro’s jurisdiction final 12 months. This 12 months, the sheriff set a purpose of lowering that quantity to 125, which the division surpassed final week.
“We don’t think about traffic the way that we think about a homicide, for example, but you’re far for likely to die on our roadways here in Las Vegas than you are to be killed by another human being,” McMahill stated. “It’s terrible.”
A number of proposals within the final legislative session, aimed toward curbing harmful and impaired driving, failed. Nevada lawmakers didn’t cross any laws to amend the state’s DUI legal guidelines the place dying is concerned, or a number of proposals to permit red-light cameras. McMahill pushed for the cameras to discourage reckless and dashing drivers.
Two proposals aimed toward enhancing sentences for DUI involving dying additionally didn’t grow to be legislation. Nevada’s DUI-with-death legislation carries a sentence of 2-20 years. A 1995 Nevada legislation requires judges to condemn an individual to a spread, that means the utmost period of time a DUI driver who kills can serve in jail earlier than going earlier than the parole board is eight years. The 8 Information Now Investigators have discovered most drivers who kill serve these eight years or much less, not 20.
An amended model of Republican Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo’s crime invoice, Senate Invoice 457, would have elevated the utmost quantity of jail time for a DUI driver who kills to 25 years.
“We need people to get behind the wheel of a car and pause just for a minute and say I need to drive slower,” McMahill stated. “I need to give myself plenty of time for where I’m going. I need to be defensive about this because I’m sick of people dying on our roadways. I’m tired of it.”
Lombardo will name lawmakers again to Carson Metropolis for a particular session earlier than the tip of the 12 months. He beforehand instructed 8 Information Now his crime invoice could be on the desk.
“I don’t want any more people to be affected by it, but I will tell you that the more people that use their voice, use their positions, show that they give a damn that they care about people dying on our roadways, I think things will start to change,” McMahill stated.
Renderings present what LVMPD and SWAT Cybertrucks may appear to be. (Sheriff Kevin McMahill)
McMahill credit his work constructing the division’s wellness bureau as an achievement. Seven clinicians are serving to workers throughout 450 month-to-month visits, McMahill stated.
“I started the culture with the mentality to say, ‘It’s OK, to not be OK,’ that what we see and hear and feel and often have to do in the line of our work causes people to have challenges,” he stated.
The sheriff additionally famous his push to make Metro essentially the most technologically superior division within the nation. With a fleet of drones and Tesla Cybertrucks — paid with donations and grants — the sheriff stated the instruments may curb the dying he’s so sick of seeing.
“I believe that if we did take an opportunity to employ some of the technologies that are available to help us reduce speeds on our roadways,” the sheriff stated.
Whereas principally all of Metro’s crime classes have decreased 12 months over 12 months, the classes of intercourse offenses and animal cruelty have elevated 11% and 33% respectively.
McMahill joined the division in 1990. As of Monday, no challenger had entered the Clark County sheriff race. If re-elected, McMahill’s second time period would start in January 2027.
