By Glenn Puit
Las Vegas Review-Journal
CLARK COUNTY, Nev. — Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill has modified the Metropolitan Police Department’s car pursuit coverage to permit officers to pursue motorists suspected of DUI, driving stolen autos or individuals wished in in depth police investigations.
McMahill stated Metro beforehand would merely not chase these drivers, and supervisors will nonetheless resolve whether or not to provoke a pursuit on a case-by-case foundation, factoring in risks to the general public, highway situations, climate, and the supply of expertise to trace fleeing motorists.
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“If we just let them go constantly, they are going to continue to commit crime in our community,” McMahill stated.
He stated criminals had been more and more conscious of the truth that Metro would usually not pursue them in the event that they merely sped away from officers. Letting motorists drive away after police when officers are satisfied the individual dedicated a severe crime is “not acceptable,” he stated.
In addition to DUI and stolen car investigations, pursuits will likely be allowed for what McMahill described as “major case protocol subjects.”
“When we have a very large crime series, as an example, and an individual has committed a bunch of crimes,” McMahill stated. “We put a lot of resources, the whole agency into it, and now all of the sudden you don’t have the ability to pursue the individual.”
McMahill acknowledged the coverage change comes with threat.
“It is a heavy burden if I am going to be very candid with you,” McMahill stated. “I understand the other side of it. There are lots of people who are worried about people getting hurt because of a police pursuit. In fact that has happened many times before.”
McMahill stated he wouldn’t ignore the potential dangers.
“I am trying to bring more responsibility into how we manage and conduct pursuits while also going out and getting the individuals preying on people within our community,” the sheriff stated.
Technological developments that help police in pursuits are a key element within the coverage change, McMahill stated. That consists of using drones, helicopters and a tool referred to as the “Grappler,” a police immobilization system that snags the wheels of fleeing autos, bringing them to a fast cease.
Police pursuits have been a scorching matter in legislation enforcement for many years. In a 2024 report, the San Francisco Chronicle discovered greater than 3,300 individuals had been killed in police pursuits within the United States from 2017 to 2022. A handful of circumstances within the Las Vegas Valley and throughout the area additionally spotlight the hazards.
This yr, a girl was significantly injured after police briefly adopted a reckless-driving suspect in North Las Vegas. Despite a choice to cease following the fleeing car, the automotive pushed by a juvenile later slammed right into a feminine motorist and precipitated her severe accidents. Also this yr, Metro and North Las Vegas police ended a police pursuit of a person who had stolen a bus and was driving recklessly. Even although the pursuit had ended, the motorist continued driving recklessly and ended up killing a motorcyclist.
In 2o18 in Las Vegas , a police pursuit of a carjacking suspect ended with a girl being significantly injured. In Kingman, Arizona , a girl was killed in 2014 throughout a police chase. In Las Vegas in 2012, a Metro officer was acquitted by a jury of all costs stemming from a deadly crash that unfolded throughout what authorities stated on the time was a police pursuit.
Sometimes police pursuits finish with catastrophic outcomes. In 2015 in Arizona , six individuals had been killed and 7 had been injured throughout a police chase.
Policies on police pursuits can range from company to company. The Henderson Police Department stated it permits car pursuits below sure circumstances.
“Officers may initiate a pursuit when there is reasonable suspicion a felony has occurred and the danger posed by the suspect’s escape outweighs the risk to the public,” Henderson police stated.
On July 10 , Metro launched a report documenting the division’s use of drive and car pursuit numbers from 2021 to 2025. The report stated that pursuits “are hazardous and will only be authorized for a violent felony offense of if the suspect presents a clear and present danger to the public.”
Metro carried out 60 car pursuits in 2025, which was barely lower than the five-year common of 64. In 2025, car pursuits had been initiated for felony offenses 90 % of the time.
McMahill stated Metro’s pursuit coverage is fluid and reviewed repeatedly.
“At the end of the day the No. 1 thing is we have to weigh the risk to the public against the nature of the offense,” McMahill stated. “That is something that I am asking the supervisory groups the sergeants, the lieutenants, the watch commanders to consistently weigh in on.”
Cpl. Joshua Swisher was offered with the Southlake Police Department’s Meritorious Conduct Award after smashing the car’s window to drag the motive force out
The LAPD officer’s ballistic vest stopped the spherical; two police cruisers had been additionally struck by gunfire
Long Branch Officer Geter Benitez was responding to a home dispute when he noticed a suspect assaulting a girl and rushed to intervene
Alexander Tan’s lawsuit claims that the division derailed his profession after he investigated Amelia Salehpour’s dying as a murder regardless of a “coordinated cover-up”
Contact Glenn Puit at gpuit@reviewjournal.com.
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