Ban on cell phone usage and texting while driving.

Ban on cell phone usage and texting while driving.

As of October 2011, warnings will be issued to drivers caught using handheld phone devices and/or texting while operating a motor vehicle  Nevada Law. You have to commit a primary offense, such as speeding, during this period to be stopped and warned of the up-coming laws.  Starting January 1^st, 2012, it will be considered a traffic violation, and you will be stopped for handheld phone usage and cited.  The 1st violation will cost you $50, the 2^nd $100, and the 3^rd $250.  Consideration was made to implement suspensions, but was not passed.  Handheld gaming devices will probably be considered under the same legislation.  Studies have shown that phone usage while operating a motor vehicle may be just as bad as driving while drunk read more here. Consider this your 1st warning.....

Our elderly are at risk.

Tyler Skochenko, a self-professed homeless drug addict, assaulted at least two elderly women, a 70 and a 79 year old, robbing them of jewelry and cash.  Both incidents occurred at NW casinos.  He was caught by police officers as he was entering another casino parking lot, more than likely preventing another robbery.  He was arrested for two counts of robbery, victim over 65 and substantial bodily harm.  His bail was set at $65,000.00. (Stroy in RJ)

One of his victims was pushed down from behind and her gold necklace was pulled from her neck.

The other victim was spun around and Skochenko attempted to pull her rings off of her fingers.  When she resisted, he pushed her down and took her purse, injuring her hip in the process.

During a recent speaking engagement, I met Esther, an eighty-something bundle of sweet, caring, sympathetic humanity in a frail package.  As I spoke to her, she clutched her aluminum walker and smiled as she told me of her traumatic attack outside a local grocery store.

She was still in the parking lot, about to enter the store with her walker, when a young male grabbed her purse and tried to run off with it.  She held on to it with a grip that the thug couldn’t break, so he punched her in the face, breaking her jaw.  He ran off with her purse (her jaw required surgery).  Fortunately, a Good Samaritan was able to detain the scumbag until the police arrived.  He was sentenced to prison for 8 years.

Here’s the heart-wrenching story.  Esther, knowing my background in police work asked me to see if I could get him released.  When I asked why, her response was “He has a young daughter and he should be part of her life.  When he gets out of prison, she will be a grown woman”.

Criminals are taking advantage of our elderly’s handicaps and sentimentality. 

The holiday season is almost upon us.  The shopping centers will be full of holiday shoppers, including the elderly, attempting to maneuver through the parking lots and crowds.

The predators know most seniors carry cash and that women carry large, strapped purses on their shoulders.  Easy targets to see and victimize, whether they do a run-by or a drive-by and snag their prize.

Many a victim has been dragged alongside a car as their purse was grabbed.  Not once, that I know of, has a suspect stopped while dragging a victim, sometimes actually running over the victim as they flee the scene.

With the economy in the toilet, businesses are laying off employees, including security, which contributes to the dangers that our seniors are facing when they are out in public.

Many assisted living facilities and senior social groups do have luncheons and other social events that allow for guest speakers that can address this issue.  Certain private groups do offer “Awareness” programs that educate on how to prevent becoming a victim.  There are several options available for our seniors, including family becoming involved.  Safety in numbers.  Maybe a sign or two posted during the holidays?  Law Enforcement has a moral obligation to take measures that will increase the safety of the citizens, and anything preventative is much better, and a lot easier, than justice for a victim.

Upcoming Nellis Air Show. Is it safe?

During the last Air Races in Reno, a modified P-51 Mustang crashed into the occupied area of the public viewing area, with a total death toll of 11 so far with several others injured and still in area hospitals.

I know the knee-jerk reactions of officials and politicians and anticipate some new rules and regulations to “protect” the attendees.

I’ve heard rumors about cancelling the event, moving the people back, changing the race course, etc.

All those viewing the race are diehard aviation buffs.  Some current pilots, some old pilots, some with military service time, some not.  They loved the race and wanted to be there.

In comparison, how about auto racing?  Same concept.  Heavily modified vehicles made for speed and handling.  A race course.  Diehard fans.  Close proximity to the action.  Car crashes.  Fans getting hurt or killed. (sp times) (.jcs-group).

Looking at the “Aviation Nation” coming to our own Nellis Air Force Base (NAFB) on November 12^th-13^th, I’m sure there are those wondering about their safety as the aircraft go through the paces. (insert planes pix here)

Just to let you know, I am a huge airplane buff and have been to almost every Aviation Nation event at NAFB. The only safety issues I saw were drivers not paying attention while they looked for parking, pedestrians jaywalking on the roads and walking in front of moving equipment on the tarmac and the “chefs” getting the occasional singed hair while they grilled on the open flames.

“The Reno air races and the Aviation Nation are two of Nevada’s largest aerial events; however they are two completely different types of events.  The Reno mishap occurred during an air race, which is very different from aerial demonstrations which take place at military open houses and civilian air shows” wrote Nellis spokesman Chuck Ramey (RJ Story Nellis Air Show).

Ramey stated further the differences between the air races and the air shows are that the race is “unscripted, dynamic competition while an air show consists of choreographed, highly rehearsed aerial demonstrations”.

The aircraft are required to fly within an “aerial box”, away from the spectators and aircraft cannot fly towards the audience.

No spectator deaths have occurred in 60 years at any military air show.

So, I will see you there on November 12^th-13^th.

Come support our military, past and present.  Great sights, memories, food and photo ops.  And, our own Air Force Thunderbirds!!!  (insert Thunderbirds pix here) (Check out their link to learn about their history and types of planes they’ve used. Thunderbirds)

Oh yeah.  Did I mention, it’s free to get in?

Does LVMPD need better defense attorneys?

The recent article in the local paper (RJ Story) on Sunday stated a local defense attorney, Kristina Wildeveld, had settled a claim against LVMPD for a civil rights violation involving Officer Richard Goslar, a traffic officer.

According to the article, she was injured when Officer Goslar grabbed her.

The incident happened 3 years ago and she filed the suit in June 2010, two YEARS later.

Question #1.  Why did it take a supposedly well-educated person to determine the injuries that she endured for two years were a result of her arrest, two years prior?  Oh yeah, and she’s an attorney.

Question #2.  Her initial lawsuit demands were over one million dollars.   Her medical expenses were in “excess of $10,000”.  So how did everyone settle on $125,000.00?

Question #3.  The incident took place in front of the Regional Justice Center.  There was no video from any of the surrounding surveillance cameras?  Oh yeah.  It took her two years to file the lawsuit.  All footage, if any, probably was deleted due to the time.

Question #4.  Her attorney, oh, I’m sorry,  she’s the attorney, stated that Officer Goslar stopped her before the violation took place (an illegal U-turn) and he had stopped her on the pretext that she was going to make the illegal U-turn.  (Again, no video).  If she was stopped by the police for an alleged violation, why did the altercation occur?  Not described in the article.

Question #5.  The LVMPD attorneys stance is “the arrest and the imprisonment of the plaintiff (Wildeveld) was completely justified under the circumstances alleged and was perfected pursuant to probable cause and reasonable cause in believing the plaintiff had committed a criminal act”. Further stated, the officer used a “reasonable degree of force and that any damage suffered by Wildeveld was “a direct and proximate result of her own misconduct and actions”.  So why are they even entertaining the thought of giving Wildeveld a dime?

It has been the rationale of Metro’s legal department to “pay off” persistent plaintiffs due to the costs involved in the litigation of their case. If word was to get out, and I’m sure it has, that LVMPD would pay you off to get you out of their hair, the greedy, anti-authoritarian, leeches of society would be suing the crap out of the police department for every little incident (Unless you’re an officer that allows yourself to be videotaped beating a civilian, (Police beat a LV Man ).   Surely the legal department, Internal Affairs, supervisors (Sgts., Lts., Capts., Ass’t., Deputy Chiefs, Ass’t Sheriffs, UnderSheriffs, Chief of Staff and the Sheriff) can do better than allowing that to happen.

I worked with Officer Goslar (Rick) for over a decade while in Metro.  During that time, I witnessed professionalism beyond compare.  He is a caring, dedicated family man.  He loves the public and is a genuine good-will ambassador for LVMPD, the county and city.  I have stated that if any of my family was to be pulled over or an officer dispatched to the scene of their accident, I would want Rick to be that officer.  He is compassionate, caring and understanding.  He would leave you laughing and thanking him, even if he wrote you a citation.

Wildeveld has a website (Mr Ticket LV) that depicts a police officer as a satanic figure, complete with red skin, horns and a forked tail. 

Do you think she already has a dislike towards law enforcement?

Dave at Barrett-Jackson Auto Auction, Las Vegas, NV

Take a walk down Memory lane with this great Video!

How “EXTREME” do you ride?

How “EXTREME” do you ride?

Last Thursday, September 15^th, a motorcyclist conducting a “wheelie” on I-15 at 100 mph was killed after hitting the guardrail.

In June, a group of motorcyclists in Texas wanted to “honor” their fallen military comrades by conducting acts of extreme riding on a public highway while police watched (Again, policies dictated they could only watch and not chase).

I remember a horrific accident on Sahara, west of Decatur, approximately 2 years ago, involving a motorcyclist traveling at high speeds, while conducting a “wheelie” and colliding with a car, killing the rider instantly with gruesome results.

I observed, on several occasions, a motorcycle traveling northbound on highway 95, with the rider on the bike, backwards, traveling about 85 mph.  On other occasions, it appeared the same bike and rider were NB on the rear wheel at 85 mph.

I’ve been involved in several pursuits with motorcycles (at least when the police were allowed to chase bad guys), that ended up in the riders crashing  or just giving up.  All the pursuits were high speed, and thankfully for the intense training provided by LVMPD, I was able to keep my bike upright, while sometimes the other riders couldn’t.

One pursuit involved a “bulletbike” that I definitely couldn’t keep up with.  The rider ditched me in a neighborhood and by the time I approached the neighborhood, he had turned around and was headed the opposite way, but without a helmet this time.  Later, when he was caught trying to ditch his bike in a casino’s employee’s parking lot, I asked him what had happened to his helmet.  He said at one point he was traveling about 175 mph and looked back to see how far behind I was, and the force of the wind at that speed ripped the helmet from his head. 

While seeing firsthand some of the “extreme” riders here in Vegas, I noticed most of their stunts were low speed and if they did have a accident, it usually involved some sort of road rash, MAYBE a broken bone. 

Other motorcycle riders feel that the stunt riders showing off on the public roadways gives the rest of the recreational riders a bad name, and even state they deserve the punishment administered by the asphalt.

The comment section on the local papers article of the most recent death on I-15 revealed a harsh discontentment for stunt riders, even wishing further harm to the riders.

While a lot of riders do so for recreation, I don’t believe it fair to judge the rest of us based on the mistakes of a few. 

The local rider’s safety courses at the community college and the dealerships have been busy and productive in producing safe and sane riders.

Many laud the bike’s ability to get great gas mileage, provide fun, transportation and a stress relieving experience.

Those who chose to show off on the streets and run from the police always pay their dues, one way or the other.

Oh yeah.  They can’t outrun the radio (maybe this radio, you can.  Check the archives of www.VegasNewsReview.com on the “Speak and Spell” article) or the chopper…

As far the people wishing ill will on certain riders, I think it’s a jealousy issue.

Valley Fever; are you and your pets at risk?

Valley fever; also known as “California disease”, “desert rheumatism”, and “San Joaquin valley fever”.

The premiere edition of “Las Vegas Pet Scene” magazine appeared at my favorite pet store and an article by DVM Donald Levesque of the Veterinary Neurological Center of Las Vegas caught my eye describing the malady.  I had never heard of it. And I walk my dogs around the apparent areas in question.

What is it?  It is a fungal disease and seems to be in certain parts of Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, and northwestern Mexico.

The spores reside in the soil and are dormant for the dry season then develops as a mold that fragments into the air when the rains arrive.  The spores also become airborne when the soil is disturbed, such as a construction site or an earthquake.

The infection occurs when then particles are inhaled, in a human or animal host.  Animals are more susceptible due to their closer proximity to the ground.

Symptoms of infection are usually flu-like and rashes in humans, and in some occasions, could be fatal.  Other serious symptoms are open sores, fever, pneumonia, severe joint and muscle pain, heart inflammation, urinary tract problems and meningitis.

In animals, symptoms could be fevers, coughing, seizures, balance problems, non-specific pain or a look of poor health.

Most people and animals are In general good health and may be able to fight off the infection, but if the immune system is weakened, a serious lung disease may result.  The spores can attack the kidneys, reproductive organs, and bone and nervous tissue.

Some symptoms mimic other illnesses, such as cancer and other bacterial, fungal and viral diseases, therefore giving the fever a nickname of the “Great Imposter”.

If you and your pet walk through the local desert and/or construction areas, be aware of each other’s health and symptoms.  If detected early, the affliction can be treated with medication.  If detected in later stages, surgery may be required and medication use can be intense, maybe for the rest of the lifetime.

Just be aware of the possibility of the existence of Valley fever, keep you and your pet healthy by eating quality foods, visit your veterinarian regularly and pay attention to any difference in everyone’s health.

LVMPD’s bad management; is the public paying the price?

When I began writing, I tried not to concentrate so much on my old employer, LVMPD, as it might appear that I had a grudge against them.  But as you watch the TV or read the paper, it is apparent that controversy reigns supreme in Metro’s management.

The question is why?  What is the problem?  We should be looking at the “top”, at the upper administration, not at the troops working the streets. 

The premise?  Most problems with most failing organizations begin with bad management and bad policies.

Let’s review a few of the facts:

1.     The new LVMPD building comes at a lease (30 years) price of over 12 million dollars per year.  Prior to opening the building the total leasing price of the offices it replaces was approximately 1/3^rd of the new lease.  The cost for the new, inadequately equipped headquarters is a net increase of 8 million tax dollars per years.  Coincidentally, this year, the sheriff has told the employees of Metro that another eight million dollars needed to be trimmed from the existing budget this year.

a.)   Most other metropolitan areas have begun investigating in “de-centralizing” their headquarters for obvious security reasons.  After the 9/11 attack of primary government buildings, the vulnerability of having “all your eggs in one basket” became painfully clear.

b.)  There will still need to be millions of dollars in needed upgrades to the headquarters in order for all the residents/officers/detectives to function properly.  (Many of the upgrades, including security measures, were eliminated from the initial budget to meet the construction budget, but will be added later after completion of the building, not that the administration was trying to sneak anything by the public).

2.      Currently, Metro Police officers and civilians are being required to accept pay cuts and decreases in benefits due to budget cuts while upper administration appears to be expanding and new positions are being formed to accommodate the “special” management.  Such new positions such as the Chief of Staff (never had one before) and appointing a new, unneeded Assistant Sheriff in the last six months are indicative of the favoritism in the upper regime.  How does this make any sense?

a.)  These decisions may have made some sense in another, more prolific time, such as the growth boom in the early 2000’s, but with a dramatically reduced population since 2005, why does it take more chiefs to oversee fewer Indians?

3.      Next, it would seem that common sense would dictate Sheriff Gillespie’s decision to appoint Deputy Chief Greg McCurdy to Assistant Sheriff.  Here’s a man that was deemed guilty of sexual harassment of two female Metro employees, while in charge of the bureau that investigated sexual harassment complaints at Metro!  The payout by Metro was allegedly in the hundreds of thousands of dollars of taxpayer’s money.  So, he knows of the policies that regulate his ability to perform his job and he chose to skirt them instead of enforcing them and he is now Assistant Sheriff?  I hope he’s wearing an ankle bracelet.

4.     Mismanagement of tax dollars and public funds for purchasing radios that work only part of the time and in certain parts of the county can be forgivable (everyone makes a bad buying decision from time to time), but to continue to re-enforce that bad decision by force feeding the radio system down the throats of those whose lives depend on a properly working system is unforgivable.  The very same people who have showed concern for the improperly working system have been threatened with discipline if they continue to express their feelings about it.  The same people who are blamed for the radio problems due to “user error”.  Every aspect of the system is flawed, but the administration refuses to accept responsibility for it, instead placing blame on the employees and the surrounding casinos for “infringing” on Metro’s frequency.  Oh, I almost forgot to mention.  This particular company LVMPD bought the system from has been documented for its failures with other police agencies.  Metro continues to spend additional millions in an effort to correct the numerous problems with its radios, now labeled as “speak and spell” by officers.

5.     When chief editor Rick Singer called the Sheriff’s office, he was directed

to a message machine to leave his questions and concerns.  This was last Friday, the 16^th.  To date, he has not received a return call.

At the end of the day, can senior management stop an individual’s poor behavior?  Not really.  Occasionally, people, police officers, etc., may stray, drink and drive, crash into some friends, pick up a hooker, etc..  But where does the permissive attitude begin?  At the top!  Mishandling money, womanizing, domestic violence, promoting employees guilty of unacceptable behavior to high levels of management, promoting friends and family members of senior staff while at the same time asking the “grunts” to take pay cuts and reduce their benefits appears to be the  management and policy method of choice for LVMPD.  Any wonder why crime goes up?  Public service goes down.  Public perception of the police goes down.  Department morale is in the toilet.  Other agencies laugh at Metro’s inadequacy to properly equip our officers in case of a critical incident.

I guess the point is based upon the leadership in LVMPD, how can you expect a once highly ranked/rated police department in the country to do anything else?

 “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas”? Let's hope that's true with the example these guys are setting.

A new anti-drug campaign by LVMPD?

A man was stopped by an LVMPD officer on Sept 13^th, and was later found to be in possession of 12 pounds of crystal methamphetamine in his vehicle.

After being placed in handcuffs and appearing to be cooperative, he “bolted” in front of an oncoming semi-truck and trailer and stopped, getting killed instantly when he was struck by about 80,000 lbs. of steel and plastic, probably traveling about 35-45 mph.

So, getting to the point.  Remember the old anti-drug campaign, “This is your brain; this is your brain on drugs”? (You Tube Video, Brain on Drugs )   My past in Metro traffic and my macabre sense of humor have been piqued with this bit of news and some new possibilities.

We could have some fun with the new slogan…

We can veer somewhat to the path of motorcyclists, relating to helmets…”This is your brains; this is your brains on the asphalt”.

How about the errant flying insect on the highway?  “This is your brains; this is your brains on the grille” (or the bumper). 

I’m not sure what this guy looked like,  or his boss’s reputation.  But, I’m sure since the delivery never made its predetermined destination, he probably knew his life wasn’t worth much and chose to end it early.

Kudos goes to LVMPD for the stop and the officer(s) who conducted the stop.  I’m sorry they had to witness the incident and for the investigation that they will be forced to endure by the department, but from the sounds of it, they did a good job.

Last month, a Nevada Highway Patrol trooper stopped a reckless semi-truck and trailer and recovered over 450 lbs. of cocaine, worth approximately $16 million in the same area.  (fox5vegas.story). 

Again, give credit where credit is due.  Thanks to law enforcement’s efforts, hundreds of pounds of drugs are off the streets. 

And thanks to the street credibility of a drug dealer/trafficker, we have one less court case the taxpayers have to pay for.

Another newborn baby dies needlessly.

March 3^rd, 2011, a dead newborn baby was discovered in a dumpster in California.  The mother told her attorney that she didn’t realize she was pregnant. Riiiight. (Story 1)

In North Carolina, a 2 to 3 day old dead baby was found in a convenience store’s bathroom garbage can.  Video surveillance shows the mother and a male companion carrying a bag into the store and leaving with a lighter bag.  She later admitted that she didn’t know if her boyfriend was the father.   (Story 2)

In Georgia, a young mother was transported to the hospital, only to find out that she had already given birth and dumped the newborn into a trash can outside of her home. (Story 3)

In California, another teenage mother was being treated for post-delivery symptoms when the hospital notified police about the suspicious circumstances.

They found the dead baby in a garbage receptacle behind a Mexican restaurant.  (Story 4)

The stories go on and on and are particularly abundant in some 3^rd world countries.

In many of the cases, the mothers needed medical treatment for the delivery and the hospital’s responsibility to report the suspicious incidents helped locate the body, unceremoniously dumped in a trash can.

And in many cases, the mothers face prosecution for charges varying from abandonment to murder.

Many of the mothers were trying to conceal the birth from their parents or significant others.

Many of the people watching/reading the news are trying to have children and would’ve jumped at the chance to adopt a child, any child, only to watch a life get literally thrown away for no good reason.

Most cities, counties and states have options for the unwanted children.

They have assorted titles (“Safe Surrender”, etc) and different time limits for the babies to be turned over, but the message is the same.

The baby can be left at an appropriate facility, with no implications and prosecution, as long as no abuse is involved.  The baby will be cared for and a loving family will be found.

In Nevada, we have the “Safe Haven Infant Protection Act”.  It allows someone to surrender a baby with no fear of arrest or prosecution.  No names are documented, and any info given will be kept confidential.  (Safe Haven)

The baby has to be 30 days old or younger and can be brought into any hospital or urgent care facility, any occupied law enforcement agency or public firefighting agency.  An ambulance can be called (911) to transport the baby to a hospital.  The appropriate child care services will take custody of the child and make arrangements to place the child in a foster home.  The parent can later petition to get custody of the child.

The law requires that the appropriate agencies know about the Safe Haven Act, but not much information has been distributed to the public.

I haven’t seen a public service announcement reference this service. 

It might be apparent that these other mothers haven’t either.  I’d like to know if they knew these services were available…

Metro officer arrested with one of our street walkers.

LVMPD veteran officer Peter Hervoyavich, on the job for 17 years was arrested Tuesday morning for solicitation of a prostitute while off duty. (Read the Story here)

Granted, he didn’t beat anyone on video while on the job. (Cops on Video)

He didn’t drive drunk at high speeds and plow into his own friends and roll his vehicle. (Metro Officer busted for DUI)

How about throw gun belts with loaded pistols over the fence, in the path of school children during inspection at a police academy (I was there).  Then shoot up the inside of his house, all while at the rank of lieutenant. (He was promoted to deputy chief later)

Hervoyavich didn’t physically hurt anyone and didn’t damage any property.

Integrity and personal damage done.  Plenty.

He will have to deal with the department, judicial system and worse, his family.

After being on the job for 17 years, one would think that after seeing numerous other officers involved in internal investigations for wrong doings on varying levels AND knowing the working of the department and their functions (Prostitutes, Vice Bureau…Helllo?) AND where EVERYONE knows where the street walkers work (A certain chain of “suites” are notorious for housing them).  What was he thinking?  Maybe he wasn’t.

 Guys have been blamed for having their brains in a different location.

Should he lose his job?

Others been involved in more heinous events and gotten away with a slap on the wrist, depending on how well connected they were.

How about a recently promoted Assistant Sheriff that was found guilty of sexual harassment of two female employees as a lieutenant in 2000?  The quote was “Lt. McCurdy will have to suffer the consequences of what he did”.  (McCurdy Sexual Harassment Case).  Yup, he’s suffering pretty well. He’s allegedly celebrating his promotion by taking an exotic cruise with his wife, who by the way,  also works for Metro and was also recently promoted as a civilian employee to a “Directors” position.

Hey!  Officer Hervoyavich should be a captain after all this is done, right?

Oh yeah.  Where’s the picture of the prostitute? Maybe she didn't want her reputation sullied?

Do bus stops have a “bullseye” on them?

Many of us use the bus transit system for convenience, economy, or just don’t have a choice.  For the most part, the system works and is on schedule.

What’s not on schedule is what could happen while waiting at a bus stop.

There are myriads of stories across the nation about impaired or just errant drivers slamming into bus stops while people are waiting, sometimes with fatal results.

Just here, the average of accidents involving bus stops are approximately 50 a year with fatalities a rare occurrence.

But here are a few examples;

July 2008, Steven N. Murray left the roadway and hit the bus stop at Flamingo and Boulder Highway, killing one female and severely injuring the other (She lost both legs as a result). (read more)

March 2005, Veronica Schmidt slammed into a bus stop at Rock Springs Rd and Smoke Ranch, killing three juveniles and an adult. She was under the influence of Xanax.  www.8newsnow.com 

May 2004, Nicolas Serrano-Villagrana killed a four year old and injured two others when he hit them as they waited at a shelter at Eastern and 95. (lvsun.com)  Nicolas had a history of driving while drunk.

December 2003, Christmas Day, Bruce L. Kirton was killed at a bus stop as a vehicle ran a red light.

October 2002, John Wan died while standing at a bus stop at Charleston and Fremont after being struck by a drunk driver.

Many of the drivers have been drinking while a few have been dosed with prescription medications, or both.  Some of the drivers left the scene of the collision.

The pedestrians that were injured or killed were not intoxicated, and just happened to be victims of the wrong place at the wrong time.

Legislation has suggested moving the bus stops farther from the roadway, possibly in a separate bus lane, in addition to the travel lanes.

How about placing some sort of barrier around the stop to protect the occupants, such as the yellow poles (word of the day, “bollards”) that frequent many a parking lot?  

The public transportation system does benefit from grants given by the government to assist the companies to run more efficiently, why not more safely?

I’m actually surprised, due to the litigious nature of our society, that someone has not sued the transportation company for such a reason.

Many of the busses, if not all, now have a video recording device that records the action from the driver’s point of view.  That recording can be reviewed by the company’s risk management staff and has come in handy in many of my accident investigations.

I’ve heard citizens complain about intersections that need more traffic control devices and have been told that more deaths need to occur at that location before it would be considered.

Haven’t we had enough at our bus stops?

Las Vegas Metro protects Sr. Posts and Demands 8 Million in Cuts - Really?!

Who’s supposed to tighten whose belt?

Sheriff Gillespie recently addressed his constituents at a LVMPD “ACTION” meeting and again, told them that everyone needed to “tighten their belts” due to another eight million dollar that needs to be trimmed off of current Metro spending.

Right after that meeting, LVMPD announced that Greg McCurdy would be promoted to Assistant Sheriff, a position that was soon to be vacant, but many critics have deemed unnecessary as there are two assistant sheriffs already in place.

Rumor mill has generated stories about other administrative officials planning on retiring but deciding on other positions in Metro, running into roadblocks during the plan to retire, etc.  So why was McCurdy promoted if Metro is trying to trim their budget?

Some say of his whining about not getting the job.  He had anticipated getting the job and, I’m sure, let down after initially not getting the notice.

He has had his share of internal investigations and not the most reputable person in Metro’s arsenal to be promoted.

How about the “Chief of Staff” position exclusively formed to position Kathleen O’Connor in the family tree, next to the sheriff?  Never had a Chief of Staff before.

Metro has been criticized numerous times due to the excessive, top heavy administration of the department, and now they are actually forming new positions for the “good ole boy” group.

What is the purpose of the new positions and promotions?

Clark County population is steadily decreasing.

Metro is looking at reducing the pay and benefits of personnel.

LVMPD has been losing senior officers  to retirement at a record pace and not replacing them.

Nevada has THE highest employment rate in the country.

The city and county are hounding LVMPD to cut costs, due in part to lacking property tax incomes.

Yet, Metro has a new “headquarters” that will cost approximately 367 million dollars in rent, 300 percent more than what they were paying before they moved into the building.

Oh yeah, they have to staff security for the new buildings at a cost of 42 officers off the streets (not in initial cost of building or Metro’s budget).

Some of the “residents” in the new building have aversions to the colors in their new offices and had them repainted, at an additional cost.

Other additional modifications were done to placate the staff after the building was completed.

Brand new furniture was purchased for all the offices.

The old, but still functional, furniture and equipment was either thrown or given away.

The civilians and officers of LVMPD have cinched their belts as tight as they can, but the level of arrogance shown by the administration in face of that is atrocious.

What’s next? 

We don’t have any “Generals”…

Police shooter had the “label”.

On September 09^th, LVMPD officers encountered Marc Hull  at a local WalMart Superstore due to a call stating that he and his girlfriend were attempting to unlawfully use a credit card to purchase $4,000.00 of electronics equipment.  (News 8 Story)

The card belonged to a deceased person who had died in 2000.

During the encounter, Hull drew a weapon and fired at responding officers, hitting one officer multiple times, including at least once in his bullet-resistant vest.

Officers returned fire, putting Hull down, who later died in a local hospital.

Media released Hull’s back tattoo, probably done in prison, depicting a grotesque, zombie-like humanoid, holding a LVMP (sic) officer around his throat and a revolver to his head.  Also on the top of the “artwork” was the words to the effect of “F#$K Police”.

Let’s regress.

July 9^th, 2011, officers responded to Costco in the Summerlin area to a call reference a person, later identified as Erik Scott , acting irrationally inside the store.

During the encounter, Scott pulled a weapon from his waistband and was shot dead by responding police.

The uproar that followed about the police shooting was a media circus, including a still pending lawsuit by the family, a banner dragged across the skies by an airplane, numerous interviews by the Scott family, among other things.

If you looked at the pictures of Erik Scott, you would see a handsome, well-dressed young man.

If you listened to his past from his family, you would hear how he was a West Point graduate and a model citizen.

If you knew Erik’s past, you knew he was dating a drug addict.  He was a drug addict himself.  His blood toxicology showed a myriad of drugs in his blood at the time of the shooting, but you couldn’t see that “label”.

I guess my comparison is still to be proven, but my guess is that Hull will be demonized as a “piece of crap” based on his “label” and he won’t get near the publicity that Erik Scott received.

I had a conversation with someone recently regarding why people would label themselves by using tattoos, piercings, sagging pants, descriptive clothing, etc.

I responded that they wanted to fill their own niche and let society know “you are either with or against me”.

I guess Hull found out who was against him…