(The Center Square) – The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department deserves high marks for reducing crime and will see more success with new technological tools, Sheriff Kevin McMahill said during his State of the Department speech.
Tuesday’s address started with a video that, in addition to falling crime rates, teased the sheriff’s themes that included the department’s use of drones and Tesla Cybertrucks.
McMahill walked out to a Metallica song with a lot to say about what he called the successes of the department, which enforces laws in Las Vegas and unincorporated parts of Clark County.
“ Since I’ve been your sheriff, those are the two-year reductions that we’ve had in all of those major crime categories,” said McMahill as he stood next to a graph on a screen.
According to the sheriff, homicides fell 12% in 2023 and 22.7% in 2024. Robberies were down 19.4% in 2023 and 14.2% in 2024. Burglaries dropped 7.9% in 2023 and 9.9% in 2024.
Motor vehicle theft cases climbed 36.5% in 2023, but fell 29.6% in 2024, McMahill reported.
He gave credit to the men and women, including police and corrections officers, who “go out every single day … with the intent to make a real difference.”
“If I have to give us a grade, I’d say we’re getting an A right now when it comes to crime reduction,” McMahill said.
He highlighted a 95% solve rate for homicides and a steep drop in car theft, one of the most scrutinized statistics of the LVMPD.
He also mentioned a new team to deal with underperforming solve rates for non-homicidal shootings.
“I don’t know what the hell it’s actually called … but I call it the shoot team,” said McMahill.
He said the solve rate had been previously around 30% to 40% and that the “shoot team” had solved 100% of the 43 cases it had taken on.
For 2025 and beyond, McMahill showed off a tech-centric force that involved Teslas and further reliance on drones.
“We are the most technologically advanced police department in the country,” said McMahill.
Recent use of drones by the LVMPD, called First Responder Drones or DFRs, had been primarily to find suspects in hiding and avoid risking the safety of officers in high-risk scenarios. McMahill likened the drones to canines.
At the State of the Department speech, the new Skydio drone was revealed. It has a larger and more permanent presence in 10 “hotspot neighborhoods,” McMahill said.
“There’s a lot of critics that say that we’re trying to turn this into a surveillance state,” the sheriff said, but added, “It’s not about going out and putting these things up so that people feel like we’re watching everything they do.
“This is focused solely on making our community the vision that we’re trying to achieve,” McMahill said.
He said the new drones will use license plate reading and gunshot detection technology.
As teased in the State of the Department’s introductory video, the LVMPD also acquired 10 Tesla Cybertrucks.
McMahill said his department ordered 10 Cybertrucks, which didn’t come out of its budget. They were donated by an anonymous person.
“By the way, we ordered this before the Trump Tower,” McMahill said. “I will tell you that in looking at why we want these things, No. 1 is, the cop inside is going to be safe no matter what.”
The model was in the news when a driver exploded a Tesla Cybertruck on New Year’s Day outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas.
The Tesla Cybertruck has received widespread criticism for the fact that a person or vehicle outside the largely stainless steel vehicle could easily be squashed.
In other police matters, the sheriff briefly mentioned LVMPD’s new wellness clinic. Aimed to prevent and treat trauma for officers in the field, the new center was deemed a success with 425 monthly visits from currently employed and retired officers.