LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Inside a nondescript building in Las Vegas’ medical district sits the newly-opened LVMPD Wellness Bureau.
“It smells different. It looks different. It feels different,” said the bureau’s director, Dr. James Tenney, during a tour.
The indirect lighting and lack of Metro signage are two features that help officers and their families feel more comfortable and ready to share what brought them in for counseling.
There are also massage chairs, couches and other tools to improve their mental health.
That includes Jimmy, a peer support liaison dog.
“Jimmy helps every day of the week. So you can imagine if an officer is squared away and not disclosing very much, the second Jimmy shows up, all of a sudden the ice is broken, and it's a very warm connection,” Dr. Tenney said.
“We can take care of everything from PTSD to family/marriage problems to addiction problems, to you name it," said LVMPD Chief Administrative Officer James Kilber. "We're here. It's free and accessible and it's confidential."
The creation of the LVMPD Wellness Bureau began when Sheriff Kevin McMahill came into office.
Several months after taking over in 2023, he told me it was one of his top priorities.
“I’ll be very honest with you. I’m being very deliberate,” he said at the time. “I’m taking it slow, because the other thing I know about police, firefighters and EMS, is that if we do something and we violate their trust, they’ll never come back, so we’ve got to find ways to get them the treatment but do it in a very sensitive way.”
Fast forward a year, it’s up and running and is getting a lot of use.
Kilber says about 450 people per month are using the services, something that not only benefits the employees.
It’s also free for their families, with seven clinicians available five days a week.
There are also several counselors available 24/7.
“If our employees are healthy, they’re going to go out and treat our society and our community better.”
He says in the first two months, he’s already noticed a difference.
“We're seeing officers come to their supervisors and asking for help. Before, they would never come to their supervisor out of fear of retaliation,” he said. “So that stigma is now gone and open for people to come forward if they need help.”
In 2022, he says there were three suicides in the department, one in 2023 and none in 2024, though that year saw 18 critical incidents where an officer or employee was on the edge.
“It was either going one way or the other, so we were out there immediately and got them admitted to the hospital and got them the help that they needed,” Kilber said.
He’s hoping the services offered will bring those numbers down.
“My goal, to be very honest with you, is that there’s no suicides. That is my number one goal. That’s our team’s number one goal,” he said.
Hinton: "I think one of the toughest things that officers will go through is if you have to fire your weapon, right?"
Kilber: "Yes."
Hinton: "Especially somebody who's young to have to do that."
Kilber: "Absolutely."
Hinton: "And I noticed, in the last few months of 2024, a lot of officers who were involved in those shootings, were in their 20s or had only been with the department for a couple of years."
Kilber: "Yes."
Hinton: "Having something like this... How does that help them?"
Kilber: "Well, we start from the academy. We start educating the academy. First, they come in the door that we have this wellness bureau. We're here to help. We have all these resources and the beauty of this is we're taking it all the way through to retirement, so if you're a retired officer you can come in here for free."
He says it’s not just the counseling services.
Officers are also able to receive rehab services and physical therapy next door through ProTeam Tactical Performance.
“They're out there keeping our communities safe every day, so it's been great to be able to give back to them and help them get back to full duty,” said physical therapist Nate Hutt.
While the mental health services are currently open to LVMPD employees and their family members, Kilber is hoping it can be expanded to other first responders in the community.
“This needs to be for all first responders in this community. That’s critical, and so we’re hoping the county and the city and other people get on board and say this is a priority for us,” he said.
For those needing confidential emotional support during times of emotional distress and you are not an LVMPD employee or family member, you call call or text 988, the suicide and crisis lifeline.
