Nevada Highway Patrol still fighting persistent trooper shortage

Nevada has spent years trying to boost staffing in the Department of Public Safety — which includes Highway Patrol, Parole and Probation and others — but problems persist. In 2022, the department had a vacancy rate of 24 percent. As of late May, the vacancy rate has risen to 45 percent statewide, according to records obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

In Southern Nevada, the rates are similar. The Nevada State Police substation in Las Vegas was missing 43 percent of its staff as of late May, according to the agency’s data.

Recruiters are not shy talking about the staffing challenge. Luis Villanueva, a sworn recruiter for Southern Nevada, said the Las Vegas area has about half of the road patrol troopers that are budgeted for the area. That means delayed responses and fewer troopers available for active enforcement.

“Sometimes there’s days where we have 20 crashes on the board, and we only have a certain amount of troopers that are out on the road that can only handle one crash at a time,” Villanueva said.

Dan Gordon, president of the Nevada Police Union and a state trooper, said the effects can be seen from the road.

“There’s a lot of drivers out there that are very dangerous, and it almost feels like they know that there’s nobody out there doing any kind of proactive enforcement,” Gordon said. “It’s a rarity to see a state trooper out there, especially out on the highways. And I think the public has kind of started to realize that over the last couple of years.”

History of vacancy challenges

Vacancies in the Nevada State Police – and more acutely, in the Highway Patrol division – have been an issue for years.

Last year was the first time since 2017 that the department hired more cadets than sworn officers departed, DPS officials said. Its worst year was 2022, when 136 sworn officers left and 81 cadets were hired, according to a pre-Legislative session presentation about hiring by recruitment subcontractor All-Star Talent.

Lawmakers took a step toward addressing the issue by increasing trooper pay during the 2023 session. Nevada State Police received a 23 percent raise through legislation approved that year, but lawmakers did not provide more raises this session despite lobbying efforts from the union. Officers received a 1 percent cost of living adjustment each year of the two-year budget cycle, Gordon said.

In a statement, Department of Public Safety Director George Togliatti said recruitment and retention of qualified professionals was a top priority for the department, and he praised Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo for approving 2023’s pay increase. He voted against the collective bargaining agreement as a member of the Board of Examiners in May, citing the state’s uncertain economic outlook, though it still passed and was sent to the Legislature.

“Law enforcement is a unique, demanding, and honorable profession, and we are actively seeking individuals who are ready to serve, protect, and lead in communities across Nevada,” Togliatti said in a statement.

State boosts recruitment efforts with subcontractor

Togliatti also highlighted the agency’s contract with All-Star Talent, the third-party recruiting agency.

“We have also been able to expand our recruitment initiatives by bringing on an external recruitment agency to reach top-tier candidates,” his statement said. “We are proud of the dedicated men and women who currently serve as well as those in training, and the high standards they uphold every day.”

The department is using digital campaigns to reach a wider pool of possible candidates. The agency used $387,640 in grant funding for a months-long digital marketing campaign through All-Star Talent, it said in a public records request. Between late April and December 2024, the agency identified more than 7,300 candidates and received about 1,600 applications, according to the presentation to lawmakers. About 300 applicants passed written and physical tests, and 39 candidates received offer letters.

Villanueva said the gap between candidates who pass the tests and candidates who receive offers could be attributed to the background check process. Candidates are most often disqualified for omissions in their applications, such as felony convictions or drug use, he said.

Department officials say they expect the agency’s vacancy rate to decrease by about 10 percent over the next year as cadets move out of training and into their roles. Vacancy rates are fluid because of ongoing retirements, employee transfers and new hires, they said.

They estimated the agency’s vacancy rate is 21.6 percent as of July 1. Gordon and Villanueva say their most noticeable vacancies are in patrol duties. In the Las Vegas area, they remain about half-staffed.

Villanueva said he focuses his recruitment efforts on highlighting Highway Patrol’s perks. He pointed to high-tech radar systems, a take-home patrol car and overtime opportunities as benefits. Additionally, the agency covers the cost of equipment — like boots and ballistic vests — instead of troopers having to pay out of pocket as in other agencies.

“A lot of the agencies in town kind of put a leash on what you’re able to do and the capabilities that you have to go out and do your job,” he said. “However, our agency here and our command staff have a lot of confidence in us to go out and do the job that we were trained to do. I love the flexibility of it and just kind of going out and being trusted to do the job.”

Rural sheriff sounds alarm

Public safety officials say the staffing crisis can have real world impacts. In rural Mineral County, Sheriff Bill Ferguson publicly questioned the agency in February letter that said the Highway Patrol did not respond to a shooting investigation on a highway in his community.

State officials dispute Ferguson’s narrative. A governor’s spokesperson said counties must request assistance from the State Police and noted that response time is affected by the location of its nearest trooper.

Records show the region’s duty station, Hawthorne, has a 100 percent vacancy rate as of late May. Ferguson said Tuesday the local duty station still has no road patrol, and his own agency is short-staffed.

“They show up, but it’s three to four hours late,” he said. “It’s wasting my manpower and resources.”

Ferguson added: “The biggest takeaway is the motoring public isn’t safe on our roadways” in rural Nevada.

Union frustrated with take-home pay

Gordon said he believes the vacancies are due to the take-home pay that troopers receive. He said Nevada’s required contributions to the Public Employees Retirement System are higher than other police agencies in the state.

Troopers coming out of the academy start at about $64,000 or $81,000, depending on whether they elect to pay their retirement contribution from their gross pay or through a deduction in their hourly wage, the 2024 compensation schedule shows.

It’s that retirement contribution that union officials believe is at the heart of the vacancy problem. Gordon said a required increase to the retirement system is eating into troopers’ take-home pay. Other law enforcement departments in the state cover the employee’s required contribution, he said.

State officials increased the required contribution from state and fire employees from 50 percent to 58.75 percent of gross pay. The changes went into effect on July 1. Gordon said the increased contributions meant that employees are paying an additional 4.35 percent into their retirement. Some see it manifested as a reduction in their hourly wage, and others see it in a reduction of their take-home pay, depending on which contribution method they chose.

Metropolitan Police Department’s police union expressed similar frustrations with retirement contributions in June, briefly considering a strike to address the reduction in take-home pay.

Union officials represent about 1,100 positions in various state law enforcement agencies. They also include Capitol Police, university officers, fire marshals and other divisions.

Gordon praised the state’s retirement system, calling it “lucrative” for employees who stay for decades. Younger troopers, however, feel the pinch.

“It’s no longer specifically about the job that we do,” Gordon said. “People want to be able to afford to do things. They want to buy a house. They want to buy a new car. They want to be able to go on vacation. And it’s certainly a lot easier when you go to some of these outside and allied agencies.”

Contact McKenna Ross at mross@reviewjournal.com. Follow @mckenna_ross_ on X.