Las Vegas Valley police consolidation proposal fades

Don't expect the Metropolitan Police Department to swallow up its counterpart in North Las Vegas anytime soon despite that city's budget woes.

But there is still a possibility North Las Vegas and the city of Las Vegas could consolidate some jail services.

Talk of handing policing duties in North Las Vegas to Las Vegas police never gained steam after some initial chatter several weeks ago, Sheriff Doug Gillespie said Thursday.

"To be honest with you, North Las Vegas has not told me what they want," Gillespie said.

North Las Vegas City Manager Timothy Hacker reached out to Gillespie in a March 28 letter seeking information on the cost of contracting for police services for comparison to the city's $32 million public safety budget.

But the proposal never took hold, leaving officials to talk about scaled-back consolidation of jail services with the city of Las Vegas.

The Metropolitan Police Department serves Las Vegas and unincorporated areas of Clark County, but the city has its own jail.

"Now, as we ramp up our budget development, those conversations have renewed, and yes those conversations continue," Hacker said. "I can't really get into too much of those details."

Currently, there are 152 people working in the North Las Vegas jail covering 148 cells and, at last count, 248 inmates.

In Las Vegas, the jail has 245 law enforcement and civilian workers, plus 47 contract employees. It has about 350 cells with a capacity to house 1,050 inmates. The average daily inmate population in the most recent quarter was 620.

Typically, inmates in city jail are people arrested for misdemeanors within city limits. People arrested for felonies and gross misdemeanors are generally booked at the Clark County Detention Center.

Situations in which an inmate arrested in one jurisdiction is jailed in another are typically managed through contracts between local governments.

City of Las Vegas spokeswoman Diana Paul said, "We've been in discussions with North Las Vegas for more than a year about finding ways to share or consolidate services: things like business licensing, purchasing, fire plans check, the jail, etc. The dialogue is continuing."

LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL