Improving officer wellness, combating preventable traffic crashes, and having one of the most technologically advanced police forces in the country. 

These are some of Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill’s top priorities he laid out in his State of the Department address on February 25. 

He then joined Nevada Week to share more details on each of these.

Officer Wellness

For much of his career, Sheriff McMahill has stressed the importance of protecting the mental health of LVMPD officers. 

"What my men and women see and do, hear and feel and smell out there, day in and day out, fatal accidents and murders and rapes and robberies and child abuse, these things live in our heads and in our hearts," McMahill told Nevada Week host Amber Renee Dixon. 

"My men and women really give a darn about what it is that they do, and so I decided I ... was going to make sure we took care of them in ways we’ve never taken care of them before."

"I decided I ... was going to make sure we took care of them 
in ways we’ve never taken care of them before." 
- Sheriff Kevin McMahill

One of his biggest goals is already coming to fruition: The Wellness Bureau opened in November 2024. It serves current LVMPD employees, their families, and retired officers.

A team of therapists and counselors are there to work with officers. The building has a calming aura, with massage chairs and meditation areas. There’s even a peer support liaison dog “Jimmy” on site.  Sheriff McMahill says officers are beginning to understand it is okay to not be okay, and they are openly seeking services from the Wellness Bureau. 

"It’s being utilized beyond what I even dreamed it would be utilized. Just this last month we had 425 of our members take part in the mental health counseling," he said. 

Sheriff McMahill acknowledges a historical stigma around police officers seeking help for their mental health. He wants to make it clear using these services will not impact an officer’s employment status, promotions, or transfer status.

"We are going to invest in them and pour into them and try to get them back to a healthy place so that they can continue on in their career and be successful all the way to the end," the sheriff said. 

Police Technology

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department will soon have the largest Tesla truck fleet in the country, thanks to a recent donation. Sheriff McMahill announced ten trucks, including a SWAT vehicle, are being designed to fit LVMPD’s needs. 

"I want to be the most technologically advanced 
police department in the country." 
- Sheriff Kevin McMahill

"This was an opportunity to increase our technological advancement," McMahill said "As you’ve heard, I want to be the most technologically advanced police department in the country. There’s kind of a wow factor with it, a cool factor. I want to attract more people to our community. I want more people to want to become cops. All of those things matter to me when it comes to the deployment of these things."

Sheriff McMahill corrected rumors claiming the anonymous donor was Elon Musk. Instead, it was Ben and Felicia Horowitz who made the donation. And it isn’t just Tesla trucks Sheriff McMahill is excited about. New drone technology is providing real-time intelligence to police officers who may be looking for a suspect. 

"What you’re getting is a drone as a first responder deployed just like a K-9 unit. They’ll pull up but stop short of the scene, launch a drone, and they’ll give real-time intelligence from overhead to responding cops to say, 'The suspect is here, he looks like this, he’s holding a gun, he’s facing this direction,' all different kinds of information that we don’t have right now. We rely on people to call and tell us that, and most of the time what they tell us is only partially correct," he said. 

Sheriff McMahill says his department has worked with drone companies to develop drones that are specifically designed to be used in police work. The information they gather will help keep officers safe, as well as save both suspects and victims caught up in a crime. 

Traffic Safety

One-hundred and sixty people died as a result of car crashes in 2024, according to statistics given by Undersheriff Andy Walsh during the State of Department address. It’s a number that’s unacceptable for Sheriff McMahill. LVMPD wrote more than 121,000 traffic citations in 2024, but the sheriff says more needs to be done to combat this problem. 

One possible solution: red light cameras. They’ve been banned in Las Vegas since 1999, but Sheriff McMahill is urging lawmakers to lift that ban this legislative session. He acknowledges there are mixed views on how effective the cameras are, and says to start, the cameras would not be on every road. 

"I’m not asking for red light cameras all over our community, I’m not asking for speed cameras all over. I want to do a pilot program, see what works here in Nevada," he said, "I want to pick the top 20 intersections that we have red light violations that are causing fatality accidents."

Sheriff McMahill says money generated from red light camera traffic fees could be used for things like education programs for new drivers or engineering fixes to improve road safety. But while lawmakers consider removing the ban on red light cameras, he urges every driver to consider others on the road. 

"When you go out there today to leave this building and start your car, say, 'You know what, I need to slow down. I need to not run red lights. I need to be cognizant of the fact that bad behavior and bad driving from people in this community are killing people at a far greater rate than they ever have.' It’s all of our responsibility to change our behavior, and I’m not going to apologize for that position," the sheriff said.