LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Sheriff Kevin McMahill delivered his State of the Department address on Friday, revealing public safety trends across the valley. While overall crime numbers showed significant improvement, traffic fatalities emerged as the community's most pressing safety challenge.
McMahill emphasized that residents face a greater risk from traffic accidents than violent crime in Las Vegas.
WATCH: LVMPD Sheriff McMahill gives State of the Department address
"You have a much more high likelihood of dying leaving here today driving home than you do by an act of violence," McMahill said.
Traffic fatalities rose slightly citywide in 2025, despite targeted enforcement efforts through the newly launched Life Squad that reduced fatalities by 18% and increased citations by 60%. The sheriff stressed that improving roadway safety requires a comprehensive approach involving engineering fixes, education and enforcement.
Channel 13 anchor Abel Garcia shares the major public safety takeaways for locals:
Crime statistics show positive trends
The department reported encouraging news on overall crime reduction, with violent crime down 4.3% and property crime declining 9.4% compared to the previous year.
Officer-involved shootings dropped dramatically from 17 incidents in 2024 to just seven in 2025, marking the lowest number for any comparable major city nationwide.
Homicides reached a significant milestone, falling below 100 for the first time in decades and representing a 43% decrease since McMahill took office. However, domestic violence remains a leading factor in homicide cases.
"Go find any major city… There are none of them below double digits. Nobody in the country is even remotely close to what your police department here is in the valley," McMahill said.
"Domestic violence is still a leading causal factor of our homicides. We're going to work diligently on domestic violence," McMahill said.
The sheriff credited much of the homicide reduction to the Violent Gun Crime Unit, created just over a year ago to focus on all shootings, both fatal and non-fatal.
Sheriff McMahill highlighted the unit's success rate, noting they handled 43 cases in 2024 with 100% success and 249 cases in 2025 with 98% success.
"With the success of the Violent Gun Crime Unit… if you commit a shooting in our jurisdiction, you will be caught," Pack said.
Technology investments and officer wellness
Metro is investing heavily in new technology, including drones, pursuit-stopping grapplers and facial recognition systems to prevent crimes and reduce victimization.
"We utilize this technology to make it impossible to commit crimes in our community and reduce victimization… and we are going to continue to press the envelope on that," McMahill said.
The department achieved an unprecedented milestone in officer wellness, going two years without a suicide among Metro personnel.
"We went 2 years without a suicide at Metro, folks. That's never happened in my 35 years," McMahill said.
The sheriff announced that "Wellness 2.0" will build resilience from the academy onward to prevent future tragedies.
New security initiatives launched
In response to recent security threats, including incidents in Boulder City and foiled plots, Metro is implementing Project Meridian, a round-the-clock security monitoring system for the city. The initiative includes seven analysts on duty, expanded counterterrorism squads, a high-tech workspace and officers deployed to cities affected by terrorism to bring lessons back to Las Vegas.
The department is also launching the Knowledge Value Network, an AI-powered system that connects police databases, identifies patterns, checks criminal histories and monitors prison releases to help detectives identify suspects faster and remove dangerous individuals from the streets.
McMahill emphasized that these initiatives focus on prevention rather than reaction, keeping Las Vegas ahead of emerging threats while maintaining community safety through collaborative efforts beyond just policing.
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