(KTNV) — Nevada State Police will no longer provide 24/7 coverage statewide, it was revealed on Wednesday in a statement from the Nevada Police Union.
"Nevada Highway Patrol staffing levels have reached such a critical level that the department can no longer provide 24/7 coverage," the Nevada Police Union stated.
Troopers will no longer be assigned to shifts from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m. in the Washoe County, Reno and Sparks areas, the union stated.
Channel 13 reached out to the Nevada Department of Public Safety who sent the following statement.
"As with many law enforcement agencies across the nation, the Nevada State Police also faces staffing, recruitment, and retention challenges. The Nevada State Police Highway Patrol Division prioritizes traffic enforcement activities across the state to maximize the safety of motorists. The scheduling adjustment in Reno will provide a greater level of service to the public and allied agencies during hours of highest demand. We will ensure that our service to the public and support to allied continues without gaps by utilizing overtime, on-call, and callout operations, as necessary. The Department will continue to monitor and adjust schedules to provide the highest level of public safety services."
The state police union has "continuously sounded the alarm on pay inequity that directly caused record-high turnover and vacancy rates of state police, which leaves Nevadans less safe," union president Dan Gordon stated.
Gordon says the union is working with Gov. Joe Lombardo and the Nevada legislature to mitigate staffing issues within the Department of Public Safety.
"As a union, we are doing everything we can to draw attention to this issue, but it ultimately comes down to the State's leadership to make public safety a critical priority and take expedited actions to adequately fund State Police," Gordon stated
State Sen. Nicole Cannizzaro, the Democratic Senate majority leader, said Republican lawmakers have opposed legislation intended to help address the issue. Senate Bill 440 would grant "an immediate, 2% raise to all state employees effective April 1st" and would fund arbitration for back pay owed to state public safety officers, Cannizzaro stated.
"The bill was supported by the Nevada Police Union, and it passed the Senate 13-8, with all Republicans voting no," she stated. "To date, the Lombardo administration has failed to publicly support Senate Bill 440 or indicate whether the Governor would sign it."
As of this report, S.B. 440 had passed the Senate, and the State Assembly referred it to the Ways and Means committee for consideration.
