Las Vegas Fire Department begins installation of security cameras

Surveillance cameras are being installed at Las Vegas fire station entrances to monitor activities and visitors, a plan Fire Chief Willie McDonald announced nearly five months ago amid allegations of sex inside firehouses.

This comes as city officials investigate another complaint alleging sexual activity in a firehouse last month.

McDonald announced plans to put in surveillance cameras at a May 4 news conference, called after the Las Vegas Review-Journal inquired about claims by a former EMT that sex is common in Las Vegas fire stations despite department policies prohibiting it.

In April, former Fire Capt. Richard Loughry was charged with having sex with a 15-year-old prostitute inside Station 47, the first firehouse to be outfitted with surveillance cameras, according to a project timeline obtained through a records request by the Review-Journal.

Cameras went into the far west valley firehouse last week, nearly four months after quotes came in pegging the estimated cost for 110 cameras for 20 fire stations at $518,814.

City officials said the timing of the camera installations and the ongoing investigation are not linked, rather it took months to line up the funding and new equipment.

“For government processes, that was super fast,” Fire Chief Willie McDonald said Wednesday. “We can’t just go out and buy stuff — we have to treat the community’s money responsibly.”

Cameras are being installed week by week, with the last devices scheduled to go in at Fire Station 103 the week of Dec. 18. Station 9, where the alleged sexual misconduct occurred last month, is scheduled to have cameras installed the week of Nov. 27.

The cameras will capture who is entering and exiting the stations and what’s going on around the buildings, McDonald said in a phone interview with the Review-Journal on Wednesday.

“It adds a level of security at the stations so we know about and are able to monitor activities in the stations,” McDonald said.

Ongoing investigation

Last week, the Review-Journal reported claims of sexual activity Aug. 21 in Fire Station 9, in the city’s northwest side. A document obtained by the Review-Journal alleges an August tryst between a firefighter and a woman inside the station. A fellow firefighter made the allegation, and claimed some supervisors within the department discouraged him from taking the issue further.

The Fire Department, the city manager’s office and the human resources department are investigating the allegations, city officials confirmed last week.

McDonald declined to comment Wednesday on the allegations and the investigation.

“We take allegations of this type very seriously and are looking into it thoroughly,” McDonald said in a statement issued last week, the only public comment he’s made on the subject. “As I stated back in May there is zero tolerance in the Las Vegas Fire and Rescue Department for unauthorized visits or inappropriate behavior within our fire stations.”

Because cameras have not been installed, no surveillance footage from Station 9 exists on the day of the alleged incident. No Station 9 visitor logs exist from August through mid-September, according to the city’s response to separate Review-Journal records requests.

Camera installation

The number of cameras being installed per station ranges from four to six. McDonald said Wednesday he anticipates camera footage will be reviewed for specific dates and times, as well as occasional spot checks that are not triggered by anything specific.

The camera initiative came toward the end of the city’s fiscal year, which began July 1. The nearly $519,000 camera cost was set aside in the fire department’s current budget, and the process to fund and install the cameras could not begin in earnest until after July 1, city Communications Director David Riggleman said.

The city is contracting with Stanley Security Solutions for the cameras. The company sent an employee to each of the 20 firehouses to assess how many cameras were needed before any of the equipment was ordered, Riggleman said.

The Las Vegas Department of Public Safety is overseeing the project, and is in charge of all surveillance cameras in the city, Riggleman said.

Contact Jamie Munks at jmunks@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0340. Follow @JamieMunksRJ on Twitter.