People struggling with addiction graduate from ‘incredible’ Las Vegas program

Prentis Ginn had been homeless for months and was living in the wash, his belongings in shopping carts, when Metropolitan Police Department officer Homar Carrillo told him to clear out, he said Friday.

When he didn’t do so quickly enough, Carrillo talked to him and gave him advice. The officer told Ginn about the Law Enforcement Intervention for Mental Health and Addiction, or LIMA, program, a partnership between Metro and the Clark County District Court that connects people struggling with substance abuse to treatment and housing.

Ginn signed up.

“My life has been so much better ever since then,” said Ginn, who is now 65 and struggled with addiction for 20 years. The program, he added, saved his life. It helped him to become sober and find a place to live.

On Friday, he was one of 15 people who came to Metro headquarters to receive certificates celebrating their completion of the program.

Graduates wore caps and gowns with gold tassles. Undersheriff Andrew Walsh, Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley and multiple District Court judges attended.

The ceremony included the presentation of the U.S. and Nevada flags by Metro’s honor guard, inspirational speeches and a slide show with before and after photos of program participants. Two of the judges appeared to rub tears from their eyes after the slide show played.

One graduate danced after receiving her certificate. Another thanked the officers who had arrested her.

Angel Lash, the LIMA program coordinator, said after the ceremony that LIMA started in 2020. More than 150 people have graduated since then.

Participants come into the program via referrals from law enforcement and community members. They need not have a pending criminal case and being part of LIMA is entirely voluntary, said Lash. Typically, the program takes nine to 12 months to complete.

“Working with these individuals has been incredible,” Lash said. “It’s not just me inspiring them, but them inspiring me. They demonstrate resiliency, they demonstrate strength, they demonstrate the willingness to walk through fear and do it with courage.”

For some of the graduates, the journey to recovery has been non-linear.

Kimberly Harrison, who graduated LIMA in 2024 and spoke at Friday’s ceremony, said she came to her graduation high.

She has been sober since April 2024 and is a housekeeping employee at University Medical Center.

“Don’t let the past determine your future,” said Harrison. “Just keep moving forward.”

At one point, Ginn relapsed. The program accepted him again.

He has now been sober for nearly a year and planned to go to an interview for a parking attendant job immediately after the graduation.

“I thank God every day for the things that I have that these people made possible for me,” he said before he received his certificate.

Carrillo works with the LIMA program, guiding people through tasks like obtaining vital documents and housing.

That entails a lot of hand-holding. “Some of these people have never paid a bill in their life,” he said.

He spoke with pride about how Ginn reconnected with his family and maintained his sobriety.

“Lives are being changed here,” the officer said.

Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BrighamNoble on X.