Metro foundation hosts Lunch with Sheriff event at Red Rock

Red Rock Resort’s Summerlin Ballroom hosted robots, taser demonstrations and a police dog Wednesday morning at the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Foundation’s sixth annual Lunch with the Sheriff event.

The foundation is a nonprofit organization that raises money to support Metro police programs and initiatives that aren’t covered by the department’s standard budget, according to the foundation website.

“The officers here are displaying technology and other techniques that help keep the public safe,” Mike Howard, one of the foundation’s directors, said about the event.

Brandon Borden, an officer on Metro’s technical and surveillance squad, showcased the department’s drone capabilities for barricade situations, including aerial drones with speakers, robotic dogs and land drones.

“The one thing that you can’t measure is the amount of officer-involved shootings that have been prevented, the amount of citizen lives that have been saved because of these tools,” Borden said.

Howard and Olivia Smith, the foundation’s director of community engagement, said the foundation also supports Metro’s community outreach programs to connect with the communities they police.

“We don’t want the badge to be known only in a negative light. We want it to be positive, and we want to humanize the badge also,” Smith said.

Contact Mark Credico at mcredico@reviewjournal.com.