NORTH LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Here at Channel 13, we're committed to the fight for safer streets — from the problems that persist, to the progress being made.
While dangerous driving behaviors remain a serious issue valley-wide that continues to claim lives, the City of North Las Vegas is reporting some encouraging trends when it comes to road deaths.
I'm taking a closer look at road fatality numbers in North Las Vegas, what police believe is driving the progress they've seen, and how they plan to continue to build on those improvements to reduce the numbers further.
The City of North Las Vegas is reporting a 40% drop in road deaths from 2024 to 2025, with 21 fatalities reported last year, compared to 35 the year prior. Through March of this year, the city has reported 5 traffic deaths, which is the same number it saw through the same time span in 2025.
I sat down with Officer Andy Navarro, a fatal crash investigator for the North Las Vegas Police Department, to talk about the progress.
He believes there are several factors driving those improvements — perhaps the most instrumental being more officers out on the road.
"In the traffic division, we've increased our numbers from approximately nine officers around that initial time to now 13 officers, plus an additional sergeant," Officer Navarro said.
He added that the department has also had some promotions coming from the traffic unit.
"So these are traffic officers who had traffic as their priority, their passion, that have now been promoted to sergeants and now they're supervisors on patrol, and they're passing on their passion, their knowledge to new officers," he said.
He said impairment is one of the leading factors in fatal crashes in North Las Vegas, and believes targeting that has also helped save lives.
"For graveyard hours, which is where studies have shown 1 in 7 seven drivers may be impaired on the road, so during that time, we've begun DUI enforcement, which is, essentially we have specialized units out there, and their only purpose is to look for DUI drivers," he said.
Of course, public safety is a shared responsibility, and police can't do it alone.
"How much of a role do you think the community plays in solving this problem?" I asked Officer Navarro.
"It absolutely is a big factor in this. Getting the word out that we are out taking enforcement action, putting out the new laws that come into play, punishment in the courts, all of that comes into play," he replied.
"Without the public's help and without the public knowing the new laws and what's going on in the city, we really are ineffective. So having their support and having a more knowledgeable public is great," he went on to say.
Officer Navarro said he likes to remind drivers, too, that driving is a privilege, not a right.
"If you have that mentality in mind, you will make the right decision. If you don't, North Las Vegas PD, along with our law enforcement partners, are out there looking for these violations," he said.
And it's that visible presence that he believes is making a difference.
"The more the public sees officers out on the road along with the mentality that we're out there and taking enforcement action, it's going to assist them in making better decisions. And in the end, reduce the amount of collisions, and hopefully fatalities," he said.
"It's not a coincidence. I think that's a big, dramatic factor in why numbers have been reduced," he added, pointing to successful rounds of officer recruitment.
He also said the department is being strategic about where they're placing all these new officers, using data to drive where they're patrolling and saturating problem areas and intersections.
The tricky part, though, is sustaining the progress they've made.
"How do you ensure that last year wasn't just a 'fluke,' for lack of better terms, and that this is a sustainable trend in North Las Vegas?" I asked him.
While the future remains to be seen, he said they're focused on doing what's working, and if it stops working, they're prepared to pivot.
"So far, it's more officers on the road, more knowledgeable officers on the road, more traffic officers, a new Southern Nevada Traffic Task Force, and only time will tell. And the thing is with data-driven enforcement, if we see a rise or something that's not working, we can quickly change and adapt," he said.
