Sheriff Joe Lombardo Calls for More Nevada State Police Funding

Clark County Sheriff and Republican gubernatorial candidate Joe Lombardo called for a raise for Nevada State Police on Thursday and slammed Gov. Steve Sisolak’s (D) “disregard” for police as “egregious.”

“Nevada State Police vacancies are at a crisis level, but Sisolak can’t be bothered to give them any attention, raises, or help,” said Lombardo in a statement. “As governor, I will immediately use remaining ARPA [American Rescue Plan Act] funds and our expected budget surplus to give state police officers signing and retention bonuses, while also ensuring that the patrolmen receive better wages next session.”

According to Lombardo’s campaign, the Nevada State Police have not seen a raise since 2006 and the gubernatorial-hopeful wants to see $2.7 billion in funds from the American Rescue Plan Act allocated to an immediate raise for patrol officers.

“To date, Sisolak has not given a dime to the Nevada State Police from the ARPA funds, even though the funds can be used to provide pay for essential workers,” the campaign announcement states.

The campaign also pointed to a Nevada Police Union (NPU) 2021 statement calling Sisolak the “most anti-union, anti-police governor we have ever worked for.” Assemblyman P.K. O’Neill called for a new governor who will prioritize law enforcement and public safety.

“As a former Division Chief at the Nevada Department of Public Safety, I’m deeply disappointed and dismayed by how Governor Sisolak has treated the brave men and women of Nevada’s State Police,” O’Neill said. “It’s time we have a governor who will step up and deliver for law enforcement on day one – unlike Steve Sisolak who has only acknowledged this crisis in an election year and still refuses to do anything about it.”

By the end of January 2022, NPU announced it had lost 30 members, and the Nevada State Police have seen extremely high turnover rates as “troopers leave the agency for other law enforcement jobs offering better pay,” the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

“The department said its overall officer turnover rate was 135 percent in 2020, with 60 cadets hired while 81 officers departed from the agency. In 2019, the turnover rate was 109 percent, and the year prior it was 127 percent,” according to the report.

Local media reported this summer that there are fewer than 60 troopers patrolling Las Vegas Valley when there used to be 180. 8 News I-Team found that sometimes just three or four troopers are patrolling major roads in Las Vegas.

“The decrease in manpower is fueling unsafe conditions – where speeding, impaired driving and recklessness are causing more death on the road in a 24/7 town,” the report states.

An NPU spokesman told Fox 5 this summer that Nevada State Police is “pretty close to being broken” and that more troopers will leave if they do not receive fair compensation.

“We have an urgent safety need that must be addressed on our state highways. The front line officers and first line supervisors of the Nevada State Police have felt neglected and ignored far too long,” Sheriff Darin Balaam said of conditions. “As a result, our highways are less safe, traffic fatalities have increased across the state, and the Nevada State Police has a 50% vacancy rate. We need a governor who prioritizes and listens to Nevada law enforcement on day one.”

Law and order has been a point of debate between Lombardo and Sisolak as the November midterm election draws closer. Sisolak has attempted to blame Lombardo for crime rates in Clark County — recent reports show murder rates down and thefts and property crimes up in Las Vegas. However, Lombardo credits the increase in certain crimes to Sisolak’s “soft on crime” policies, like reducing penalties for lower-level crimes and increasing diversion programs. Lombardo says he will “repeal Steve Sisolak’s soft-on-crime policies” and end “reduced sentences for drug traffickers and burglars, [and] eliminate leniency for career criminals,” according to his campaign website.