State Supreme Court: Constables can hop borders

Clark County constables can serve legal papers outside of the jurisdictions where they were elected, for now.

The Nevada Supreme Court issued a ruling Friday allowing constables to jump borders until it makes a decision on the merits of the case, which could be several months away.

The one-page decision halts a preliminary injunction requested last month in District Court by Las Vegas Township Constable John Bonaventura to stop border-jumping constables who leave the boundaries of their own townships to turn a profit elsewhere.

Bonaventura said Friday that he just wants the issue resolved.

"We want clarification of the statute, one way or the other," he said. "Are we allowed to go into other people's townships or not?"

Bonaventura has objected to efforts by other constables seeking to boost their revenues by sending deputies to work in Las Vegas. Last month, he asked the court to stop Laughlin Township Constable Jordan Ross and Henderson Constable Earl Mitchell from working in Las Vegas. At the time, Bonaventura said the matter was an issue of public safety as people were mistaking Henderson and Laughlin deputies as being with his office.

Mitchell said he agreed with the ruling.

"We do not actively try to take business from other constables," Mitchell said. "We don't solicit door-to-door throughout the valley and say, 'Hey, come to Henderson.' But if someone comes to us and asks about providing services to them, that's something else."

Ross said he now can put a dozen people, including deputies, back to work serving subpoenas, handling evictions and summoning juries for justices of the peace.

"We really would just like to put the unpleasantness behind is," he said.

The practice of border-jumping made headlines statewide last year when a handful of armed deputies from the Laughlin Township constable's office executed a court order and seized money from a Las Vegas Township gas station. The Laughlin office also set up a Las Vegas bureau at the time.

Mitchell said he disagreed with "setting up shop outside of our offices."

Ross said competition between government agencies leads to better services.

According to Nevada law, constables are peace officers, and almost all of them are paid based on how much business they carry out. But Mitchell said the Legislature should change the law, putting more restrictions on who can run for constable based upon law enforcement experience.

There are 11 constable officers countywide, ranging in size from Las Vegas Township, which has a $3 million budget, to smaller jurisdictions in places such as Moapa and Searchlight with tiny budgets and no employees. In larger offices, the county pays for administrative support. In Las Vegas Township, the county sets a maximum pay rate for the constable of about $100,000.

Contact reporter Kristi Jourdan at kjourdan@reviewjournal.com or 383-0440. Contact reporter Lawrence Mower at lmower@reviewjournal.com or 455-4519.