Bill creating police review boards clears panel

      CARSON CITY -- A bill that would allow creation of civilian police review boards in Las Vegas and other Nevada communities won approval Wednesday in the Senate Government Affairs Committee.
      The panel voted for Senate Bill 39 after its sponsor, Sen. Joe Neal, D-North Las Vegas, cited problems including the case of former Las Vegas police officer Ron Mortenson who's charged with the December drive-by shooting of Daniel Mendoza, a 21-year-old gang member.
      Mortenson, 31, was a passenger with former officer Christopher Brady when the drive-by shooting occurred. Brady, 25, hasn't been charged.
      Also, another Las Vegas Police Department officer was recently accused of forcing a couple to perform sex acts in front of him, and a third was accused of forcing two women to perform oral sex with him.
      Police Lt. Stan Olsen sought unsuccessfully to amend the bill so the proposed board wouldn't have subpoena power. He said there are enough ways already to demand witnesses testify or documents be produced.
      Olsen also labeled the proposed panel "a police control board, not a civilian review board," and noted that any uses of force by officers are subject to review already by a board made up of city and county officials and a public representative.
      But Neal, a black who has long been critical of Las Vegas police actions against minorities, opposed the amendment, saying, "We're trying to get outside the good-old-boy network."
      The Government Affairs Committee sent the bill to the Senate floor after Sen. Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, moved for its approval. She was backed by Sen. Bill O'Donnell, R-Las Vegas, a former Las Vegas police officer who said, "If you're doing the right thing, you don't have to worry about oversight."
      Because of all the problems in booming Las Vegas, "I think it's time we moved ahead," he added.
      Under Neal's proposal, any city or county could create a citizen review board that would have the power to issue subpoenas and require the production of various documents and records.
      Neal said a police review board could help augment police investigations and also provide an incentive for better hiring policies.
      He has said the panels would be more independent and would operate "without undue pressure or additional influences which police have when they investigate themselves."
      Asked after the meeting what steps will be taken by the Police Department in efforts to stop the legislation, Olsen said that hasn't been decided yet.
      Clark County Sheriff Jerry Keller has argued that a civilian police review board would be inefficient and would make it difficult to ferret out bad police officers. He added he has a zero-tolerance policy for police misconduct.