How are trooper shortages in the Nevada State Police affecting our valley?

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — We've learned major trooper shortages continue to affect Nevada State Police and departments statewide.

Just last week, Mineral County Sheriff Bill Ferguson said his office was basically on its own after a shooting left a truck driver hurt on a state highway.

He said he reached out to Nevada Highway Patrol and the state's major crimes unit, but says both told him they just didn't have the staff to help.

Now, Sheriff Ferguson is demanding answers, asking why the governor hasn't addressed the crisis, why state troopers aren't responding to violent crimes on highways, and what kind of support rural counties can expect if state police can't show up.

Rural Nevada Abandoned: Nevada State Police Fail Mineral County by yolanda.cruz on Scribd

Nevada State Police did offer the following statement:

I wanted to find out how the impact is being felt here in Southern Nevada.

One expert I talked with calls the issue on our highways concerning, putting our safety at risk.

"It is a recipe for disaster," said Dan Gordon, president of the Nevada Police Union.

With vacancies at a staggering level, Nevada State Police officers are struggling to patrol our roadways effectively.

We all drive the main highways here in the valley: I-15, 215, and the 95. Troopers do what they can to keep us all safe, but here in Southern Nevada, the situation is dire.

"We just don't have enough manpower to make a difference on our highways," Gordon said.

The problem is not new.

Back inJuly of 2023, I spoke with a recruiter for the Nevada State Police, who told me they needed to fill about 100 positions.

WATCH | Nevada State Police kicks off critical hiring spree, pay raises

Now in 2025, Gordon says the numbers remain alarming.

"From the last story that I did to now, where do we stand?" I asked him.

"I'd like to say that things got better, and it did for a couple of our divisions. But for the most part, we saw a decrease in our staffing," he said. "We have about 50 positions filled, and they're supposed to be about 120, if not more. So, like you said, we have about 70 vacancies, and we have to spread those 50 people across three different shifts."

"What's that direct impact that you're seeing here in Southern Nevada?" I asked.

"You're seeing just a tremendous uptick in fatal crashes, crashes with injury, crashes in general. If we were able to fill all 120 positions that are down there, it's still not enough," Gordon said.

WATCH | What is the state doing to stop the rising number of deadly crashes in Clark County?

A major reason for the vacancies could be low wages compared to other agencies like Metro, Henderson, and North Las Vegas police departments.

"Nevada State Police is at a disadvantage when it comes to recruiting for a couple reasons, and the biggest obviously being compensation," Gordon said. "But our issue is that any kind of raises have to be done legislatively."

That issue is before the legislature right now and was discussed when the Senate and Assembly Subcommittee on Public Safety, Natural Resources and Transportation met on Feb. 14.

Nevada State Police officers currently start with salaries between $65,000 and $95,000. But after taxes, deductions, and the high cost of living, Gordon tells me that number doesn't stretch very far.

"Your take-home, you can look at it and say, you know, $65,000, it is a lot of money. But when you have all your deductions and then you have the cost of living, it really isn't, especially for the work that we do," he said.

State police are in the middle of contract negotiations, but with time running out in this legislative session, it's unclear if a pay increase is on the horizon.

Gordon tells me they will find out around June, but officers say if wages don't improve, staffing shortages will only get worse.