LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Las Vegas police believe the future of policing is already here.
In addition to using drones to track suspects, the department is also ramping up its use of artificial intelligence.
I sat down one-on-one with Sheriff Kevin McMahill to talk about how those tools are changing policing in Southern Nevada and the growing questions about privacy and public safety.
WATCH: Senior reporter Alyssa Bethencourt goes one-on-one with Sheriff Kevin McMahill
Before officers even get there, Metro's drones are on the scene.
Newly-released video from LVMPD shows an incident from April 11 where the department's mobile drone unit helped officers track down an armed suspect accused of threatening another person with a firearm.
It's another example of technology helping officers respond faster, safer, and smarter.
"Listen, the technology piece is a big deal for me," McMahill said.
In a wide-ranging interview, McMahill told me that expanding technology is no longer optional for modern policing, especially as departments nationwide struggle with staffing and tighter budgets.
"No matter what I do, there’s no massive funds coming from the city [or] the county property tax sales tax to rapidly increase the number of police officers that we have."
Instead, McMahill told me Metro is leaning into technology to help close that gap.
“These drones are beating my police officers to calls 70% of the time ... Think about that," McMahill said. "We're getting a bird's eye view of what's happening there long before we even arrive on the scene."
McMahill tells me that matters because information coming into 911 is constantly changing.
“When you get a 911 call, the information is almost always wrong, the direction of travel, the clothing, what they look like, because things change by the time you get there.”
The push goes beyond drones. Metro is also expanding the use of real-time cameras, surveillance technology, and AI tools designed to help track suspects and speed up investigations.
“The idea is if you commit a crime, and we have a technology bubble here, you’re never gonna get away with that crime.”
That technology was also on display in another case that Metro recently released video of.
On March 10, police responded to a domestic violence call involving a reported strangulation near West Desert Inn Road and South Decatur Boulevard. Investigators say the suspect fled, drove erratically through traffic, crashed into multiple vehicles, and then ran.
From above, Metro's air unit tracked the suspect through the chaos in real time.
“I don’t need to get a whole bunch of technology to say we’re technologically advanced," McMahill said. "I need technology that’s going to save lives and solve crimes. That’s the two things I’m focused on.”
Still, McMahill acknowledges some people are uneasy about how far this technology could go.
“I’m very sensitive to the fact that people think it’s about spying … It’s a wide open door," he told me. "Come see it. Look for yourself. Make your own judgments.”
McMahill insists the goal is not surveillance for the sake of surveillance, but stopping violent crime before more people become victims.
While drones are already playing a big role in how Metro polices the valley, McMahill says the next frontier is AI and that the technology could help investigators sort through large amounts of data much faster.