Budget calls for further increases in police hiring

In a three-year period before the More Cops sales tax, the Metropolitan Police Department added about 150 officers. In the 18 months since the new tax, the department has added twice that many.

Police leaders plan to continue their massive hiring effort in the coming fiscal year to keep up with the valley's booming population growth. The police department's budget calls for adding 30 police officers and 86 civilians by next summer, and another 150 officers will be hired through the More Cops tax.

"We're pumping out some bodies," Sheriff Doug Gillespie said after Wednesday's police academy graduation for 87 new officers. "We're headed in the right direction."

The agency's $516.3 million operating budget, which is 10 percent larger than that of last fiscal year, was approved Monday by the Metropolitan Police Department Committee on Fiscal Affairs. The budget was forwarded to the Las Vegas City Council and Clark County Commission for approval.

Under the budget, the county would pay $206 million and the city would pay $129.5 million. The rest of the budget is covered by property taxes, fees and $13.3 million from McCarran International Airport to station officers there.

The city and county also will split $15 million for capital projects, including $8.8 million for a new substation for the Northeast Area Command; $5.8 million to expand the 911 call center; and $768,000 to design a new substation for the Southwest Area Command.

About 85 percent of the operating budget pays salaries and benefits for the 2,365 police officers and 1,391 civilians working for the department. Another 450 officers and their benefits are supported through the More Cops tax, which comes from a .25 percent increase in the county sales tax.

Gillespie plans to boost neighborhood patrols with the new officers while shifting veteran officers to other units such as traffic and property crimes.

"We need to be out there enforcing traffic laws to another level, and to do that we need bodies," Gillespie said, adding that 55 people have died in fatal crashes within his jurisdiction this year compared to 42 at the same time last year.

Financial and property crimes will see about 40 percent more officers to tackle crimes such as identity theft, fraud and burglary.

Gillespie praised his predecessor, Bill Young, who led the charge to get the More Cops tax passed in 2004. Without it the police department would be falling further behind the needs of the rapidly growing population, he said.

"It's doing what it was supposed to do," Gillespie said.