LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Using dual-sport motorcycles, a handful of Las Vegas city marshals will be patrolling parks, trails and washes on two wheels.
“We can go off pavement, so we can go into grass, dirt, rocks, places traditionally that we don’t get to,” City of Las Vegas Department of Public Safety Sergeant, Robert Kight, says.
Using these motorcycles, the motor unit can better protect the infrastructure of the city’s trails.
Lieutenant Paul Hartz says the motorcycles will also help them prevent illegal dumping in the washes, and offer resources to the unhoused who live there.
“The bikes allow us to meet them right where they’re at. We can extend them MORE team services, and put them in direct connection with the vast majority of resources the city’s been offering for the last five years,” Hartz says.
The motor unit will be out daily. Hartz says they’ll use data from city marshals, and the city’s cameras, to deploy at the right times to the right places.
“If we see an influx of unhoused at 5:00 a.m., we need to meet them at 5:00 a.m. and not deploy at 5:00 p.m, they’ll be gone by then,” Hartz says.
Even though they’re on two wheels instead of four, Kight says their “mobile office” on the back of their bikes allows them to do everything they need to, complete with a computer and even a citation printer.
FOX5 wanted to learn how other Las Vegas Valley police departments use motorcycles in their policing.
Metro Police say they use traditional bikes in the downtown and convention area commands. Motorcycles are only used for special events.
Henderson Police say their traffic unit uses two two enduro-style motorcycles for enforcement in parks and trails.
“Additionally, they have proven valuable in search and rescue operations within the surrounding desert areas,” a Henderson Police Department Spokesperson said in a statement.
North Las Vegas Police say their motor unit uses motorcycles for the majority of their shifts.
They also have a number of enduro-style motorcycles used for specific operations, like park patrols, special events and washes, on-occasion.
Copyright 2025 KVVU. All rights reserved.
