LVMPD is one of the few police departments in the nation with an elected sheriff as its head. Both the city of Las Vegas and Clark County fund the department jointly. Funding is based on a formula consisting of the number of calls for service, population and other factors. The sheriff and much of the executive staff are located at Las Vegas City Hall.
The total jurisdiction for the LVMPD consists of 7,560 square miles. In 1973, the city and county population under the LVMPD’s jurisdiction was listed at 215,454; in July 2007 it had grown to 1.4 million. Police officers patrolling the Valley are assigned to eight area commands. Citizens can request information, file crime reports, report accidents and talk to the police officers who serve their area from any of their respective centers, which are listed below:
Bolden: 1851 Stella Lake Street
Convention Center: 750 Sierra Vista Drive
Downtown: 621 North Ninth Street
Enterprise: 6975 West Windmill Lane
Northeast: 831 North Mojave Road
Northwest: 9850 West Cheyenne Avenue
South Central: 4860 South Las Vegas Boulevard
Southeast: 3675 East Harmon Avenue
The department maintains a comprehensive forensics laboratory including fingerprint identification, ballistics, handwriting analysis and DNA testing. The Communications Bureau operates as the public safety answering point for the LVMPD. It has an enhanced 9-1-1 system.
— Public Safety – Fire and Rescue
The 690 employees of Las Vegas Fire & Rescue help protect one of the most recognizable cities in the world. Las Vegas Fire & Rescue is one of only eight departments worldwide that have attained both an Insurance Services Office Class One rating and is accredited by the Commission on Fire Accreditation International.
Fire Operations, Prevention and Inspection: Las Vegas Fire and Rescue operates 19 fire engines, six ladder trucks, 20 ambulances, a technical rescue team, water tanker, air/light unit, mobile command post and two hazardous materials units placed at 17 fire stations strategically located throughout the city. Fire prevention staff conducts inspections at construction sites and at current businesses to ensure that fire and life safety codes are adhered to.
The Fire Protection Engineering & Planning section works with planners and architects to review new construction plans or existing upgrades/modifications to ensure the plans meet fire and life safety codes. In addition, the department operates the only public safety bomb squad in Southern Nevada and offers a fully-equipped hazardous materials team ready to handle any emergency, including acts of terrorism.
Emergency Medical Services: The department operates 20 licensed advance life support ambulances; all 19 fire engines are also paramedic rated, providing 36 paramedic units to the city. Further, the department operates a Technical Rescue Team, which is equipped with the latest in rescue and extrication equipment. All firefighters are either certified emergency medical technicians or certified paramedics.