LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — If it feels like you’re seeing more police pursuits across the Las Vegas valley lately, Sheriff Kevin McMahill says you’re not imagining it.
In an exclusive interview with Channel 13's Alyssa Bethencourt, McMahill confirmed Metro changed its vehicular pursuit policy earlier this year and acknowledged officers are now pursuing more suspects as a result.
WATCH | Alyssa Bethencourt hears from McMahill and breaks down the changes:
“There’s been a policy change 100% and a technology change,” McMahill told Channel 13.
The policy shift marks a significant change in approach for a department that saw vehicle pursuits fall to a five-year low in 2024.
According to Metro’s annual Use of Force and Vehicle Pursuit Statistical Report, officers conducted just 51 vehicle pursuits in 2024.
McMahill said that trend created an unintended consequence.
“The reality of it is, is these individuals have been out committing a tremendous amount of crime, and we had policy that prevented police officers from going after those individuals,” he said.
The sheriff said he became increasingly concerned that suspects were learning officers often would not pursue them.
“It was just getting to the point where nobody would stop if they were in the middle of committing a crime,” McMahill said.
What changed?
Metro recently provided Channel 13 with the department’s revised pursuit policy through a public records request.
Metro pursuit policy by troy.gingerich
The updated policy places greater emphasis on planning, supervision and technology during pursuits.
WATCH | In a previous interview with Channel 13, McMahill talks about technology being used to fight crime:
According to McMahill, one of the most significant changes is the use of a controlling supervisor responsible for overseeing pursuits as they unfold.
The department is also relying heavily on technology, including helicopters, drones, crime cameras and vehicle immobilization tools.
Among those tools is a grappler system designed to entangle a vehicle’s tire and bring a pursuit to an end.
“In fact, we’re adding more of these grapplers where the net comes down on the front of the car, and we can go and entangle the car and be able to take them into custody,” McMahill said.
The sheriff insists the department is still deliberate about when pursuits occur.
“We’re still very calculated about when we go out and chase somebody," he said. "We don’t just chase somebody for no reason."
More pursuits, more visibility
McMahill openly acknowledged that the policy change has resulted in more pursuits.
“You’re not wrong. You’re hearing a higher level of pursuits than we’ve had in the past based on policy change that I’ve made,” he said.
Since the policy change took effect, Channel 13 has independently tracked at least a dozen pursuits across the valley.
Among them was an April 4 pursuit involving a stolen vehicle that ended in a crash near Durango Drive and Cheyenne Avenue. Metro said the driver of the stolen vehicle refused to stop before losing control and colliding with an unrelated vehicle. Four people were transported to the hospital and the suspect was arrested.
On May 5, police pursued another stolen vehicle. Investigators said officers eventually lost sight of the suspect, but the driver continued driving erratically before crashing into a citizen’s vehicle near Bonanza Road and Nellis Boulevard.
McMahill acknowledged the policy could continue to evolve.
“Do I have some things that I probably have to tweak in the pursuit policy? Yes, but we are pursuing more people without a doubt,” he said.
What’s next?
Channel 13 has also requested pursuit statistics for 2025 and 2026 through public records in an effort to better understand how much activity has changed since the policy shift.
Metro has provided the updated pursuit policy, but has not yet released the current pursuit statistics requested by Channel 13.
As those records become available, Channel 13 will continue examining what Metro’s new approach means for both crime and public safety.
For Metro’s top law enforcement official, the goal is clear.
“You’re not going to get away from us anymore," McMahill said. "That’s the message."
