Las Vegas sheriff says his department has earned an 'A' for results
- Liam Hibbert
- Feb 26
- 2 min read
(The Center Square) - The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department deserves high marks for reducing crime and will see more success with new technological tools, Sheriff Kevin McMahill said during his State of the Department speech.
Tuesday's address started with a video that, in addition to falling crime rates, teased the sheriff's themes that included the department's use of drones and Tesla Cybertrucks.
McMahill walked out to a Metallica song with a lot to say about what he called the successes of the department, which enforces laws in Las Vegas and unincorporated parts of Clark County.
“ Since I've been your sheriff, those are the two-year reductions that we've had in all of those major crime categories,” said McMahill as he stood next to a graph on a screen.
According to the sheriff, homicides fell 12% in 2023 and 22.7% in 2024. Robberies were down 19.4% in 2023 and 14.2% in 2024. Burglaries dropped 7.9% in 2023 and 9.9% in 2024.
Motor vehicle theft cases climbed 36.5% in 2023, but fell 29.6% in 2024, McMahill reported.
He gave credit to the men and women, including police and corrections officers, who "go out every single day … with the intent to make a real difference.”
“If I have to give us a grade, I’d say we're getting an A right now when it comes to crime reduction," McMahill said.
He highlighted a 95% solve rate for homicides and a steep drop in car theft, one of the most scrutinized statistics of the LVMPD.
He also mentioned a new team to deal with underperforming solve rates for non-homicidal shootings.
“I don't know what the hell it's actually called … but I call it the shoot team,” said McMahill.
He said the solve rate had been previously around 30% to 40% and that the “shoot team” had solved 100% of the 43 cases it had taken on.
For 2025 and beyond, McMahill showed off a tech-centric force that involved Teslas and further reliance on drones.
“We are the most technologically advanced police department in the country,” said McMahill.
Recent use of drones by the LVMPD, called First Responder Drones or DFRs, had been primarily to find suspects in hiding and avoid risking the safety
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