Metro sheriff stresses community-oriented policing

Community-oriented policing is the future of law enforcement, according to Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo.

And it’s already working for the Metropolitan Police Department.

The county’s new sheriff on Saturday stressed bringing police and the community closer together.

He joined top brass from law enforcement agencies across the valley who spoke to students and residents about ethical policing. They discussed such things as transparency, diversity and mental health.

Last year’s events in Ferguson, Mo., had a definite impact on the way they approach police work, they said.

Lombardo began the discussion at the University of Phoenix’ Las Vegas campus, saying that the biggest change he has seen since he began his career is the public’s increased demands for accountability and transparency.

He offered Metro’s efforts to reduce the use of deadly force by officers — an issue brought to light by a Review-Journal investigation in 2011 — as an example.

“We had a terrible problem with use of force,” he said.

The rate of police shootings in the valley prompted an audit by the Department of Justice. Lombardo said Metro worked hard to adopt the department’s recommendations and respond to criticism from the community.

Lombardo was sworn in as sheriff in January and has nearly 30 years of experience. He said that early in his career, most officers believed the public should always defer to police as to when it is OK to shoot people.

“We didn’t really show that accountability when it was involving officer use of force,” he said. “As a result of those recommendations, we have become a better police department.”

“The public is holding us to task.”

Lombardo said the way the department has embraced community-oriented policing is one reason that the Las Vegas Valley avoided the kinds of riots seen across the country following the shooting death of Michael Brown by former Ferguson Police officer Darren Wilson in August.

Chris Hoye, U.S. Marshal for the state of Nevada, said the events in Ferguson might not have changed the way police agencies operate, but they have changed the way departments think and highlight the need for officers to be respectful and courteous.

Lombardo said the Ferguson Police Department’s failure to respond to the news media and to educate the public about the process as it unfolded contributed to public anger. He also said the conversation about law enforcement’s race relations highlights the need for diversity within departments.

“The key component there is their police department didn’t look like their community,” Lombardo said. “That was such a big deal for them.”

But making a police force match a community’s demographics is easier said than done, he said. It’s a problem that Southern Nevada agencies also have.

“That’s a struggle for us, because some cultures don’t want to participate in police work,” Lombardo said, adding that recruiting minorities has to be a priority.

“By making the workplace more diverse, it’s not just the right thing to do, but it also increased the talent pool,” Hoye said. “It’s amazing how rich law enforcement has become since there are more African-Americans, that there are more women, that there are more Hispanics, that there are more Asians.”

Lombardo said police officers are also charged with handling other social problems, including mental health — something the state has done a poor job addressing.

“It’s no secret that the Clark County Detention Center is the largest mental health hospital in the state,” Lombardo said.

Many police shootings involve people with mental health issues, so it has become very important that officers are trained to de-escalate crises within that community, he said.

Michele Freeman, chief of detention and enforcement for the city of Las Vegas, pointed out that law enforcement interventions often save lives, too. People facing health issues, addiction and homelessness are often connected with resources for treatment after they’ve been arrested.

Henderson Police Chief Patrick Moers and George Togliatti, vice president of security at Mandalay Bay, also spoke at the event.

The University of Phoenix offers criminal justice certificate and degree programs for people interested in careers in law enforcement and security. Daniel Barry, chairman of the criminal justice college and a former Metro captain, said the college held the event in honor of March as National Criminal Justice Month, which Congress declared in 2009, and is hoping to throw a similar event in May.

Contact Wesley Juhl at wjuhl@reviewjournal.coma nd 702-383-0391. Find him on Twitter: @WesJuhl.