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?

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.

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?

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”…

Good night. Sleep tight. Don’t let the bedbugs bite

Recently, I had a conversation with someone about an entire building that had to be fumigated because of an infestation of bedbugs.  (Not here, in California, so relax)

As I researched the bedbug phenomenon, I learned the following disturbing facts.

The bed bugs have been celebrating a comeback since about 1995 for unknown reasons. 

Reasons for the comeback;

Increased foreign travel, resistance to pesticides, second-hand clothes and furnishings changing hands among other things, hitchhiking on other animals.

What do they eat? 

Blood.  Specifically warm-blooded creatures. (Guess where we fit in on the menu?)

Where do they live?

Bed bugs?  Guess where.  Predominantly beds, but cloths and clothing material can harbor them.

How do you find them?

Look at ALL sections of your mattress.  Look at your clothing and luggage. Look for small spots and/or groups of the pests, congregating together.

You can actually smell them.  The smell is said to resemble coriander, cilantro, almonds or overripe raspberries.

How do I know if I have been a victim of the bedbug?

Look for swelling, rash or small blisters on your skin, usually in the same area.

Heat is not the bedbug’s friend.

If you have clothing or bedding that you believe in infested, place them in the clothes dryer and tumble them on the “high” setting.

Here in Vegas, you can place items outside in the summer heat and get the same results.

Now what do you do?

Contact a professional exterminator. Some exterminators employ a four-legged detector.  Some dogs are trained to sniff out the pests.

Some research has shown that bedbugs are highly resistant to pesticides, sometime as much as 264 times that lab bedbugs. (link) (Sounds like a great horror movie, huh,  Wes Kraven? ) So a professional is a must if you are going to have him spray a toxin in your home.

Cleanliness is next to Godliness.  Vacuum, vacuum, vacuum all around.  Rooms and mattresses.

Heat is not the bedbug’s friend.  If you have clothing or bedding that you believe in infested, place them in the clothes dryer and tumble them on the “high” setting.

Here in Vegas, you can place items outside in the summer heat and get the same results.

There are several natural remedies available.  Their efficacy is debatable, but at least one of them could be fun. 

The leaves and seeds of the “cannabis” plant is one such remedy.

Really?

Probably should keep some nachos in the bedroom after implementing such a remedy.

Traffic perceptions and misconceptions

I’ve received several requests for traffic related articles due to, ahem, colorfully descriptive drivers in Las Vegas.  While the list is long and distinguished, traffic laws are sometimes definitive and a lot of times vague.  Even the people who enforce the law have a difficult time deciphering the meanings.

Here’s a few of the public’s perceptions and misconceptions of some traffic related issues;

Stop.  Webster’s dictionary states: to cease activity or operation, to cease to move on.

Stop means STOP!  Red lights, stop signs all mean stop.  No “California” stops, rolling through the intersection without coming to a complete stop.  Slowing down does not constitute a stop. 

Right turn on RED.  See above.   While acceptable to turn right on a red light (unless the posted sign says “No right turn on red”), you must come to a COMPLETE stop. 

U-turns.  The only time you cannot make a U-turn is if there is a posted sign indicating no U-turn.  Pay attention to the striping in the roadway as some do not allow any types of turns across them, such as double yellow. 

The cameras mounted on the traffic signals are not red light cameras.  And they don’t record the intersection.  They are used to monitor the traffic flow so the signals can be adjusted for maximum traffic efficiency, when needed.  So if you are involved in an accident, don’t ask the investigating officer to “pull the tape” or “check the camera”.

Asking to see the radar gun if stopped for speeding.  Officers do not have to show you the radar gun, if they used one, if you are being cited for speeding.  Radar is used to verify a visual estimation of your speed.  So, the officer doesn’t even need a radar gun to cite you.  The officer also may have paced you with his vehicle.  The officer has to deal with other traffic on the roadway while dealing with you and doesn’t need to be waltzing back and forth between his vehicle and yours unnecessarily or having you walking to his vehicle.

If I was asked for my radar gun, and it was safe to do so, I would unplug it and bring it to the driver’s window.  Of course, the display was off by then.

If you rear-end someone, you’re going to be at fault 99% of the time.  When investigating vehicle collisions involving rear enders, the occasional excuse would be “he stopped for no reason” or “he braked abruptly and I couldn’t stop in time”.  There really is no excuse for rear ending someone.  You’re either following too close or not paying attention. 

Here’s a typical argument from an at fault driver who caused a rear end collision;

Driver; “I was not following him too close, officer”

Officer; “Then why did you rear end him?”

Driver; “Because he stopped too quickly”

Officer; “So, you couldn’t stop in time?”

Driver; “Exactly”

Officer; “So you didn’t have enough time to react and stop your vehicle in time, right?”

Driver; “Yes”

Officer; “So you were following too closely”

Driver; “No, I wasn’t”

Officer; “Sigh”

If you are stopped for a violation or you find out you are at fault for an accident, a meltdown at the scene is definitely not going to help your case.   Getting out and throwing a tantrum will get you the attention of others and you may become responsible for other accidents, possibly getting you another citation or worse.  The officer will give you a copy of your citation and explain by you signing, you are not admitting guilt.  Which means you can go to court to dispute the violation.  

If you refuse to sign, you are saying you want to see the judge now.  That requires a trip to jail.  Your vehicle impounded.  A mark on your record. If it is the weekend, you may stay for the weekend before seeing the judge.

Really?

And yes, LVMPD motorcycle officers ride Harley-Davidsons.  Metro has one of the largest all Harley motor divisions in the country. 

One of the most common questions we fielded, usually by someone totally adorned with “Harley” t-shirts, “Harley” boots, “Harley” baseball cap, sometime wearing “Harley” leathers was, “Is that a Harley?”

The question of the year is “So, they’re putting Harley motors in those things now?”

Oh.  During the summer months where it reaches an indicated 115 degrees and you pull up next to a motorcycle officer, who is dripping wet, at the intersection, find something else to ask him other than “Aren’t you hot on that thing?”

I’d usually respond with “Yeah, the county’s broke, so they won’t fix the air conditioner on these things”, which always got this response: “Well, that’s BS”.

Sigh.

Rubberneckers…must have great chiropractors

During my tenure in law enforcement, I had numerous occasions where I was on a scene of a vehicle accident, some major, and some minor.  Even more occasions conducting traffic stops on the sides of the road, or even parking lots.

Every single time while engaged in these events, I noticed several other drivers (as well as passengers) gawking in my direction as they passed by, failing to notice what was in front of them as they continued with their forward momentum.

Occasionally, I would hear a “crunch”, sometimes a “crash” and other associated sounds such as breaking glass or plastic, cursing that would make a sailor blush, or the “gasp” or all the above as they passed.

As an accident investigator, I would check on those other occupants for medical issues and smile inside, because I knew I didn’t have far to travel to take my next accident report.

My record is four accident reports without moving my vehicle.

A study conducted by the Virginia Dep’t of Motor Vehicles and Virginia Commonwealth University, (see article)showed that “texting” was the first cause of an accident and “rubbernecking” was second, accounting for 16% of all distraction-related accidents.

Other driver distractions were driver fatigue, looking at scenery (Welcome to the Las Vegas Strip!), other passengers or children, adjusting the radio and reading the newspaper (Really?), books (Again?) maps or other documents.  Oh yeah, cell phones.
A few of my personal favorites are personal grooming (shaving, brushing teeth, putting on makeup, applying nail polish, etc).  Various sex acts (I won’t go into detail, it’ll take too long and this is a family show), dressing/changing clothes, and playing “air instruments” (Air guitar, drums, piano).

The problem is epidemic with rubbernecking.  Everyone wants to see the carnage of an accident.  And they slow down to get a good look at the scene, so they can languish about it later.

I had a driver so upset after driving past, at 5 mph, an accident scene (no injuries), that she had to stop in the only travel lane and grieve for the driver (no longer on scene, he went home) and completely lost her mind when I asked her to move her vehicle so others may pass. 

Safe to say she is etched in my mind as the most unstable person I have ever met driving a motor vehicle.

The reason other accidents happen as rubberneckers pass an accident scene is the varying speeds that rubberneckers drive at.

Rubbernecker #1 slows to 15 mph to view the scene, while rubbernecker #2 is following #1 and slows to 25 mph to view the scene and occasionally rubbernecker #3, following #2, maintains the speed limit at 45 mph.     

You know the “end” result.

You may have noticed the barriers erected alongside the freeways, sometimes described as “sound barriers” and certain jurisdictions have opted for the double-high center dividers  One of the purposes of these barriers is to block the view of drivers, so they are not distracted by the view on the side of the road or on the other side of the road.

If there was an accident on the opposite side, drivers would not be able to see the wreck, and continue without rubbernecking.

Also, while I don’t claim to be a doctor, it appears if a driver has their head turned to the side while being in involved in a collision, the chances appear to be greater that an injury will occur.

Is it really worth it to risk an accident just to get a glimpse of some blood and guts?  Especially if you are going to be traumatized by it?

At minimum, you should be looking at the vehicle in front of you, just in case they are the rubberneckers.

Why don’t people even turn their head when they change lanes in front of you?

That would be a great reality show title…Rubberneckers.   There would be no shortage of footage…

Metro headquarters…Essential or not?

The new LVMPD “headquarters” is now open for business.   Employees are slowly moving in.   At the cost of over $1,000,000.00 per month rent.  Brand new furniture for everyone.  Three times the cost of what it was costing Metro to rent the previous buildings that it replaces. Technically it isn't even a "headquarters" because the specific things necessary for it to be classified as one were not added to the buildings because they would have cost too much. Like the appropriate security measures that  were originally asked for. Since it was way over the initial cost, they had to cut out those very things to save money.

It still remains unnamed.  Three guesses and the first two don’t count as to what it does get named?  Doug Gillespie LVMPD headquarters?  The rumor is he wanted to get the building in place to show the previous sheriff he could do what the other guy couldn't. And as for naming something this monumental, so huge in LVMPD's history, how about honoring one of the officers who dedicated their lives to the cause? Or even allowing the employees and former employees to pick a name?

Sheriff Gillespie describes it as “not a fancy building, but it’s a nice, practical building”.  

How practical is it?  No freight elevators in the buildings.  The furniture and equipment will have to be lugged up the passenger elevators or the stairs, increasing the cost of moving, I’m sure. Certainly increasing the length of time it will take to move in.

No reasonable roof access for maintenance to the roof mounted equipment, such as air conditioning units and communication devices.

Flooring not suitable for easy cleaning, mostly carpet.

Not enough power to the buildings, therefore not enough power for individual offices (department e-mails were sent out forbidding anyone to bring personal appliances, such as coffee makers, fans, heaters, fridges, etc).  There's barely enough power to run the necessary computer equipment. 

Keep your eye out for possible necessary upgrades in the future, which will then increase the cost of the buildings yet again. But I doubt that anyone will ever hear about that if LVMPD brass can help it.

And every LVMPD substation is supposedly built as “essential” buildings, meaning they can withstand more of what Mother Nature can dish out, such as seismic occurrences, except for some reason, the LVMPD “headquarters" was not built to these standards. 

The building is supposed to “improve efficiency and internal communication”, but I’ll bet the e-mail is still the internal communication of choice, whether you are sending it next door or to another building on the other side of the city. And to tell the truth, communications won't be much improved by having the units closer together, because the main issue keeping the units from talking to each other in a more timely manner was THEIR BOSSES.

Speaking of "efficiency", taking over 40 police officers off the street to provide security for the buildings 24/7 doesn’t ring "efficiency" to me.  Why not hire private security at half the cost?  If it’s good enough for the military, it should be okay for the local police.

If I pushed the right buttons on the calculator, the total Metro will pay for the “headquarters” is approximately $367 million.  If that is three times what they were originally paying for rent, we would’ve saved approximately $245 million by avoiding renting the new building.  Over $8 million a year savings?  And we are cutting our officer’s pay and benefits for a third year in a row?

The county has an option to buy the buildings in 3 years;  LVMPD will have paid almost $37 million by then.  Then they can buy it at “fair market value”.  Has the county or police department ever bought a building after leasing it? And rumor has it that LVMPD actually signed a 30 year lease anyway. Who actually benefits from this overpriced, underwhelming project anyway? Doesn't look like the county, city, or LVMPD in the long run. What is it about the buildings we seem to get for our administrators lately? They all seem to be underbuilt, lacking the necessary elements to work efficiently, designed poorly, and overpriced as well as taking longer to complete, just like the Regional Justice Center. Is the same person getting the bid to build them, because the same issues always seem to come up, and the same issues continue to plague each project. If you don't believe me, wait until the next rain and go visit the newer substations; they all leak in the same places!

Sheriff Gillespie added, “It’s not going to be a money-saver.  We never said it would be”. I guess the $14 million, over and above everything else, that Metro spent for “tenant improvements” didn’t save any money.  Yet Councilman Gary Reese said it would “save money and make the department more efficient”.  So who's right? And where did Reese get his version of the story, since he had to vote to allocate money for the buildings. The "headquarters" supposedly has a computer-controlled lighting system based on the employee’s schedule.   Not sure if that was a great idea.  In 23+ years on Metro, my schedule changed like the wind.  And the last thing you wanted me to do was mess with a computer program so I could have my office lights on. 

I guess I’d have to put a service request in to the IT department to help me with the computer controlled light switch.  How much is that service call?… (read here)

Join Metro + Get in Trouble = 5 Months Paid Vacation

Here’s a deal you can’t refuse.  Get five months of paid leave for the cost of one week’s wages.  Where was I when this deal was offered?

Two LVMPD officers were recently disciplined for a unauthorized jaunt, out of their jurisdiction, while checked out at Family court to cover the escapade.  (read this)

On Jan 19, 2011,Officers Brad Gallup and Jake Grunwald were stopped by Arizona law enforcement in a marked LVMPD patrol car traveling 20 mph over the speed limit.  The AZ officer thought that since it was out of place to see a LVMPD car in that neck of the woods, he had his dispatcher check with LVMPD dispatch to see if they were missing a patrol car.  Dispatch checked the vehicle number and noted that it was checked out at court and called the officers assigned to the vehicle.  After one officer finally answered his phone, they did acknowledge that they were in court and would walk out to check on the car.  No other voice transmissions were noted and approximately 90 minutes later, the officers and their vehicle were secured at the “Enterprise” substation.

Dolan Springs is approximately 100 miles away to the substation.

The LVMPD officers noticed the AZ officer following and pulled over voluntarily, giving a story about trying to find a spot for a photo shoot.

Both officers were placed on PAID leave after the incident pending resolution of the investigation.  The end result was each officer would give up a week’s pay for their joyride in the department’s vehicle, at taxpayer’s expense.

Let’s see.  200 miles  at $3.50 a gallon of gas, roundtrip at 20 mph over the speed limit is not conducive to good gas mileage in an overburdened Crown Vic. They lied about their whereabouts.  Approximately five months of paid administrative leave  (for each officer).  Investigative time for the department Internal Affairs Bureau (how the heck did this take five months to resolve?). And they pay for all of that with a 40 hours suspension?  (here's a bit more)

Shouldn’t the investigators be looked at for taking that much time for completing, what seems to be a very simple investigation?

Assistant Sheriff  Ray Flynn stated (just in case you wanted more) that he didn’t know where the officers were heading.  Doesn’t that make the investigation incomplete?

I remember the days when your sergeant told you to take an older vehicle and to drive it all shift long to put more miles on it so it could be retired quicker, but that practice stopped years ago, due to Las Vegas growing and putting a strain on police resources.  But your sergeant knew what you were doing all shift…how about officers Grunwald and Gallup’s supervisor?   Who incidentally, was a  Internal Affairs sergeant before being transferred back to patrol duties…Really?