LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department shares their work to crack down on violent gun crimes among youth in the valley, but calls for changes in state law to deter repeat offenders.
FOX5 told you how Nevada lawmakers addressed gun violence and efforts to reduce crimes across Nevada during the Joint Interim Standing Committee on Government Affairs. LVMPD shared their work to reduce homicides, gun crimes and incidents involving gangs and the youth.
“With the proactive enforcement and reorganization with the Violent Gun Crimes Unit that the Sheriff made in 2024, we’ve been able to reduce the number of incidents that juveniles were involved with firearms, and it’s resulted in a above 90% solve rate for the Metropolitan Police Department, and it has had an impact on making sure that our community is safer,” said Captain Joshua Martinez with LVMPD.
Homicides committed by youth have gone down, as well as the number of juveniles arrested for murder:
Martinez explains a trend seen on the streets: adults and gangs give weapons to juveniles or enlist them to commit crimes, exploiting a vulnerability in state law.
“We have seen this firsthand: we had detectives that were shot at. The individuals were adults that helped lead and commit the crime. But when we were able to take the individuals into custody as they were exiting a vehicle, the guns were in the possession of a juvenile; the adults do know that it’s a misdemeanor possession for juveniles when they’re in possession of that gun,” Martinez tells lawmakers.
Martinez shared the department’s hope to increase penalties for juvenile offenders: if a juvenile possesses a firearm and points a weapon at someone, the crime could be elevated to a “gross misdemeanor,” as proposed in Assembly Bill 199. LVMPD backed the legislation in the 2025 legislative session, and Martinez expressed hope that lawmakers can revisit the proposal in the 2027 session.
State Sen. Dina Neal asked if there was research to show if increased penalties could deter criminal activity among youth.
“I’m just very interested in seeing the research that would say, ‘you’re going to be deterred from carrying a weapon as a child,’” Neal said. “If proof is in the pudding that other strategies and other wraparound [services] are working, then why pursue increased penalties, when the different strategy is actually changing the outcome?” Neal asked, hoping to visit with LVMPD as they recruit community leaders such as pastors for outreach.
“Our pastors will go out into the communities, and they’ll start to work with those families to provide them the resources that they need, and work with that juvenile or that family that’s been a victim of violent crime. And if it’s a juvenile in particular, they will have people that have been incarcerated to work with those juveniles to talk about the downfall of crime and how that’s not a path forward, and it leads to incarceration,” Martinez testified to lawmakers.
Metro said they work with CCSD Police when a gun is discovered on campus. CCSD Police shared their efforts to cut down on firearms on school property, and said many possession incidents have a link to gang activity.
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