OFFICER
THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY: OUR STRATEGIC PLAN AND VISION 2025-2028
In response to overcrowding at the city holding facility, the city of Las Vegas established the Department of Detention and Correctional Services on March 15, 1982. Over time, the agency expanded its role as the city grew. In 1986, the Las Vegas Park Rangers were integrated as the agency’s law enforcement arm, later becoming Deputy City Marshals in 1992, responsible for patrolling city-owned properties, including parks. By 2016, the agency had broadened its mission to include Animal Control, relocated to a new facility, and adopted its current name, the Department of Public Safety. Today, the Department of Public Safety (DPS) is a unique agency responsible for patrolling 83 parks, city facilities, trails, washes, our tourist corridors, operating a city jail, and providing animal protection services with a team of more than 460 staff. Our mission is to ensure a safe, resilient, and thriving community through innovative and transparent practices, working closely with LVMPD and allied agencies.
Aligned with the principles of the 21st Century Task Force on Policing, our strategic plan emphasizes trust building, employee wellness, forward-thinking concepts, proactive enforcement, and legitimacy. This strategic plan reflects input from our staff, community members, city departments, elected officials and other stakeholders. This inclusive vision was developed through staff surveys, guidance from the Chief’s Advisory Board, and feedback from the Citizen’s Advisory Board, ensuring it meets both operational needs and community expectations.
The strategic plan serves as our roadmap for proactively reducing crime, holding offenders accountable, enhancing public safety perceptions, and providing high-quality services. We will commit to using force and authority fairly, reassuring the public, and managing financial resources efficiently and responsibly. By equipping our staff with the necessary tools, training, and time, we hope to empower them to deliver results effectively.
We are dedicated to evidence-based decision-making, leveraging data, analysis, and research to improve law enforcement practices across policing, custodial, and animal protection services. This approach ensures our strategies are efficient, responsive, and focused on outcomes that matter most to our community and the allied agencies we are honored to serve alongside. Above all, our professional support staff remain the driving force behind our success, embodying our commitment to public safety and service excellence.
STRATEGIC APPROACH
Our employees are our greatest asset, and we are committed to developing officers with strong minds and bodies. Guided by the principles of the 21st Century Task Force on Policing, our focus areas include:
Building Trust, Confidence and Legitimacy
Employee Health and Wellness
Sound Policy
Innovative Technology
Consistent Training
Crime Reduction and Community Engagement
Hiring,
Staffing and Retention
We aim to foster a culture of problem solvers empowered by data, technology, accountability and leadership support. Our leaders will trust, challenge, and reward team members who demonstrate humility, commitment and respect – among other values. We will accomplish this work by being kind, committed, and smart – one with sound emotional intelligence that realizes we control our response. We follow clear, measurable goals and maintain accountability by properly measuring and inspecting what we expect in our jail, field services, animal protection and professional services.
We will continue to focus on being precise in our proactive approaches to reducing crime, disorder and the fear of crime in our jurisdiction of Las Vegas. We continuously assess operations and budgets, aligning priorities with the city’s goals and performance indicators. As a learning organization, we embrace adaptability, evidence-based decision-making, and innovation while leveraging experience, intuition and constitutional principles – one that empowers our people by giving up control to develop their innate leadership abilities.
Through comparison data, research, hotspot policing, and proven strategies, and by targeting, testing and tracking ~ we refine what works to achieve results. Every interaction, internally and externally, is an opportunity to build trust and make a positive impact. Finally, we will continue to sustain excellent relationships with Las Vegas Metropolitain Police Department (LVMPD), our allied agencies, and other city departments.
Out of this strategic plan, an action plan with specific metrics will be launched for action over the next three years that focus on smart goals that are specific, measurable, achievable and relevant – as well as time-bound.
Priority 1
SAFETY, WELLNESS AND CULTURE
FOCUS AREAS
1. Honoring Employees
• Recognize staff consistently with letters of commendation, medals and annual awards (e.g., Medals of Merit, Lifesaving Awards and Employee of the Year).
• Host meaningful retiree sendoffs for employees and their families.
• Expand the Retiree Engagement Program to maintain connections with past staff.
2. Enhancing Officer Safety
• Reduce injuries by analyzing incidents and implementing targeted solutions.
• Expand training using our new Reality-Based Training Center and programs like integrating, communications, assessments and tactics for all divisions – to include Corrections.
3. Retaining Skilled Staff
• Lower attrition to single-digit percentages across all divisions.
• Boost recruitment efforts with incentives and a set number of annual recruiting events.
• Continue to explore the retention of our talented staff.
4. Providing Tools and Training
• Increase annual training hours with tabletop exercises and formal dedicated processes and programs.
• Introduce advanced technology like license plate readers, drones, reality based-training and smart cameras.
5. Preparing for Promotions - Mentorship and Succession Planning
• Encourage mentorship from middle managers and lieutenants to develop sergeants and officers.
• Offer external training and utilize wellness tools to support professional growth.
Priority 2 SUSTAINING TRUST & LEGITIMACY
FOCUS AREAS
1. Policy Alignment with National Standards
• Begin Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies accreditation process in 2025.
• Finalize law enforcement policies by December 2025.
• Apply best practices from the American Jail Association and National Animal Control Association for Detention and Animal Protection Services, respectively.
• Launch our three year Sound, Accountable, Just and Effective grant through the Department of Justice and Bureau Justice Assistance.
2. Community & Department Collaboration
• Strengthen community ties through events led by our Volunteer and Community Engagement Coordinator and community policing lieutenant.
• Expand the Citizen Police Academy and launch a meaningful volunteer program.
• Introduce and create our own DPS’ social media presence to enhance transparency, improve recruitment, educate the public and share initiatives.
3. Reflecting the Community We Serve
• Regularly assess department demographics to ensure representation.
• Continually celebrate our already diverse department.
4. Contributing to Public Safety – being an outstanding partner
• Enhance collaboration with Las Vegas Metropolitan Police, other allied agencies, and other city departments.
5. Clear Communication & Alignment
• Foster clarity through adherence to the chain of command and efficient communication systems –such as internal podcasts, DPS recaps, and weekly meetings & notifications.
• Continue to partner with bargaining units for input on new initiatives and workplace changes –meeting regularly with all of them.
• Conduct routine staff surveys to gauge sentiment and improve performance.
• Use a COMPSTAT (computer statistics) closed loop process to streamline responses to action requests from the Las Vegas City Council, mayor, chief and city manager.
• Continue to employ a service area command structure for each city ward – assign future volunteers to those wards.
Priority 3 REDUCING CRIME, DISORDER AND FEAR
FOCUS AREAS
1. Evidence-Based Problem Solving
• Expand jail programs and partnerships to reduce recidivism.
• Improve animal welfare & return to owner (RTO) practices.
• Use Patrol, Conditions, Problem-Oriented Policing (POP) and Flex Teams to target specific crime areas, including parks, tourist corridors, & animal concerns.
• Deploy specialized units like Task Force officers, Criminal Investigation Section (CIS), K-9, Motors, & Problem-Oriented Policing teams to proactively address the root causes of crime.
• Automate micro ‘Hot Spot’ patrols through our computer-aided dispatch (CAD) – creating a 400 code for a more efficient closed-loop process to problem areas and action requests in our parks and tourist corridors.
2. Victim Reduction
• Prioritize fewer victims and better perceptions of crime and disorder (victimization data) - over arrest and citation numbers (outputs).
• Emphasize prevention, intervention, and education to reduce crime.
• Impact homelessness with our Conditions and MORE teams – partnering with our city departments.
3. Technology for Crime Prevention
• Implement drones, security cameras, license plate readers, real-time data-decision and operation management systems, mobile trailer cameras, and machine learning tools.
• Continue integrating less-lethal technologies.
• Routinely explore new technology and artificial intelligence for better efficiency.
4. Best Practices & Innovation
• Host educational events (animal welfare, custodial setting, and policing) and secure grants to enhance law enforcement strategies.
• Implement integrating, communication, assessment and tactics and our critical decision making wheel to improve responses to resistance in our field and detention services.
• Routinely use our reality-based training system.
5. Community Involvement
• Promote public safety through animal care events (spay/neuter, vaccinations, microchipping).
• Expand Crime Prevention through Environmental Design with Problem-Oriented Policing and Conditions Teams to better partners with our business and community to target harden locations.
• Effectively use our volunteers in all city of Las Vegas Wards.
KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
Priority 1: Safety, Wellness and Culture
1. Honoring Employees
a. Percentage of eligible employees receiving farewell recognition (excluding those opting out).
b. Percentage of employees reporting improved morale due to recognition events (via surveys).
c. Frequency of staff recognition events and initiatives.
2. Enhancing Officer Safety
a. Number of accident reports.
b. Number of preventable vehicle accidents per 1,000 miles driven.
c. Percentage reduction in vehicle accidents.
d. Number of citizen and internal complaints.
e. Number of actionable early warning system notifications.
f. Number of use-of-force reports.
g. Percentage of employees completing the AB336 behavioral health assessment.
3. Retaining Skilled Staff
a. Average tenure of officers in key positions.
b. Percentage of internal promotions compared to previous years.
4. Providing Tools and Training
a. Total internal and external training hours completed.
b. Number of Integrating, Communication, Assessment and Tactics (ICAT) training events.
c. Implementation of use of force committee and number of reviews.
d. Implementation and launch of a realitybased training system (VIRTRA).
e. Number of table-top exercises done each month.
f. Number of SRT and SERT training days
g. Percentage of employee’s actively using wellness resources.
5. Preparing for Promotions – Mentorship and Succession Planning
a. Frequency of bi annual leadership retreats.
b. Number of employees paired with a mentor.
Priority 2:
Sustaining Trust and Legitimacy
1. Policy Alignment with National Standards
a. Number of CALEA standards met annually and progress toward accreditation.
b. Number of recommendations implemented from CALEA assessments.
c. Implementation of Sound, Accountable, Just and Effective (SAJE) law enforcement metrics through Bureau Justice Assistance and recommendations implemented.
2. Community & Department Collaboration
a. Total number of community outreach events held.
b. Citizen’s Police Academy pre- and postsurvey results.
(1) Percentage increase in participant understanding of police operations based on pre- and post-program surveys.
(2) Percentage of attendees expressing positive perceptions of law enforcement (via surveys post-event).
c. Implementation of city of Las Vegas DPS social media pages and improved engagement and impression rate year over year.
d. Number of jail career certifications –SERVESAFE and CMI – and reduction in recidivism as a result.
e. Number of jail programs and discharge events.
3. Reflecting the Community We Serve
a. Percentage representation of gender and racial diversity compared to community demographics.
b. Attrition percentage 10 percent or better across divisions.
KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
4. Contributing to Public Safety – Being an Outstanding Partner
a. Number of joint operations resulting in shared outcomes (e.g., arrests, case resolutions).
b. Number of SERT operations.
c. The average completion time for locksmith work orders.
d. Number of task force operations.
e. Efficiency of Law Enforcement Support Tech processing.
5. Clear Communication & Alignment
a. Staff survey.
b. Feedback from elected officials.
Priority 3: Reducing Crime, Disorder, and Fear
1. Evidence-Based Problem Solving
a. Implementation of evidence-based strategies and number of research trials.
b. Adoption and utilization of data, science and research tools (e.g., Peregrine software and Flock Safety).
c. Evaluation of knowledge of evidence-based practices through promotional process.
d. Number of jail in-custody deaths.
e. Number of officer-involved shooting incidents.
2. Victim Reduction
a. Percentage reduction in violent crime rates compared to a three-year average at Fremont Street Experience and parks.
b. Reduction in inmate altercations.
c. Decrease use of force incidents through the utilization of ICAT strategies.
d. Number of Officers that received ICAT training.
e. Number of individuals referred to mental health or addiction services from field services via resource guides and detention program counts.
f. Number of animals returned in the field to owners (RTOs) by APS.
g. Number of backyard breeding operations.
h. Number of firearms recovered by Deputy City Marshal teams impacting violent crime.
i. Number of encampment clean-ups and tons of debris picked up partnering with other City Departments.
3. Technology for Crime Prevention
a. Number of ALPR detections resulting in actionable outcomes.
b. Number of Hotspot patrols & implementation of automated hotspots.
c. Expansion of drone team.
d. Number and percentage of cameras in detention center.
e. Number of smart vision cameras in parks.
4. Best Practices & Innovation
a. Establishment of an online reporting form on the city of Las Vegas DPS webpage for criminal complaints, Animal Protection Services (e.g., backyard breeding), internal affairs citizen complaints and commendations.
b. Number of cases opened and closed from the criminal online reporting tool.
5. Community Involvement
a. Number of Community-Oriented Policing events attended and hosted.
b. Number of completed Problem-Oriented Policing (POP) projects using Scan Analyze Report and Assess (SARA) analysis with documented outcomes (e.g., reduction in specific crime types).
c. Percentage of POP projects sustaining measurable impact.
OFFICER
