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Nearly 1K at Metro test positive for COVID, 2 die during pandemic

Updated January 8, 2021 - 8:02 pm

Nearly 1,000 Las Vegas police employees have tested positive for COVID and two have died, according to newly released statistics from the Metropolitan Police Department.

Two employees died from coronavirus, and about 960 more fell ill from March through December, according to Metro Capt. Dori Koren of the department’s Convention Center Area Command.

“We grappled with the difficulty of trying to prevent the spread of this virus in the jails and within our agency, while still ensuring that our officers were providing the kind of services that you expect from our community,” Koren said during a Facebook livestream on Thursday. “Our officers did not have the choice to sit out this year as part of the virus. They had to stay on those front lines, and they did a great job doing so.”

Metro employs 4,659 people, including 3,300 officers, according to the department’s 2019 annual report.

Lt. Erik Lloyd, 53, died July 29 after nearly 30 years with Metro. He served as president of the Injured Police Officers Fund since January 2004, where he coordinated fundraising efforts for wounded cops and their families. Lloyd organized a “Shay Day” for 29-year-old Shay Mikalonis, who was shot June 1 as police took people into custody at the conclusion of a protest.

“Everyone knows Erik as the man that shows up when tragedy strikes, whether it’s injury or a death,” Will Huddler, chairman of the Las Vegas Police Managers and Supervisors Association, said before learning of Lloyd’s death. “And now, it’s just this awkward feeling for the agency and all of us that Erik is the one who needs help. He’s always been there to help us.”

Metro civilian employee John Melwak, 70, died Oct. 23. Melwak was a patrol services representative assigned to the Northwest Area Command and had been with the department since 2003, a Metro spokesman confirmed Wednesday.

His job included helping with police reports and crime scene investigations, interviewing witnesses and victims and responding to nonhazardous calls, according to information provided by the department.

“He was a dedicated and valued employee of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police department,” his family wrote in an online obituary. “He was a loving husband, father, and grandfather and a wonderful friend to many. “‘Papa’ devoted his life to his family, and we will never forget him.”

Union files complaint

According to statistics maintained by the department, the case total has increased, with 976 officers having tested positive as of Wednesday afternoon. Another 19 officers were still awaiting results.

Steve Grammas, president of the Las Vegas Police Protective Association, said the pandemic has added yet another risk to the dangers of being an officer.

“Police services still need to be done. Law enforcement still needs to continue,” Grammas said. “They’ve always had inherent risks. Now we add potential exposure to COVID to the list of things. They continue to go out there and be the best police force in the country.”

The association filed a complaint against Metro on Nov. 4 that argues the union was not consulted before the department’s issued its new COVID consequences in October.

The complaint said that Deputy Chief Kelly McMahill is seen in an internal video sent to all employees telling officers if they come to work knowing they have symptoms, officers will receive at least a written reprimand.

“If you choose to knowingly enter the workplace while experiencing a symptom or multiple symptoms of COVID-19, and you cause fellow employees to be quarantined or to become ill, there will be a statement of complaint authored and you can expect the discipline to begin at a suspension,” McMahill continues in the video, according to the complaint.

It was unclear how many employees had faced consequences because of the policy. The case remains in the initial response phase with the Local Government Employee Management Relations Board.

“Our investigation teams and detectives are still doing their job and running cases despite COVID,” Grammas said Thursday.

Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter.

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