Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
Las Vegas police revealed plans for a multi-agency training center.
Oct. 1 spurred action on pre-existing plan
Law enforcement agencies across the state are hoping a renovated, one-of-a-kind facility will allow them to train together and prepare for natural disasters, active shooter situations and other mass casualty events.
The multi-jurisdictional training site, estimated to cost about $46 million, is expected to be used by public and private entities across the state and eventually the nation, said Metropolitan Police Department officer Andrew Locher, who is overseeing the effort.
While officials said the project was not initiated because of the Oct. 1 shooting on the Strip, the massacre solidified the need for such a facility, Clark County Undersheriff Kevin McMahill said at a Thursday news conference.
“The events of 1 October and other mass casualty events around the world have been and should be a wake-up call for emergency responders everywhere,” McMahill said. “We must constantly strive to be a step ahead of those who wish to do harm in our communities.”
Now more than ever, law enforcement agencies need to train together, he said.
Metro and the North Las Vegas Police Department are spearheading creation of the site, which will be called the Nevada Joint Training Facility.
Agencies expected to train at the facility include Metro, the North Las Vegas Police Department, the Henderson Police Department, the
Nevada Highway Patrol, the Nevada Gaming Control Board and the FBI, McMahill said.
“So that when evil visits again, we’re better-prepared to deal with any of that type of incident that comes to our valley,” he said.
Private funding sought
The site, already under construction at the John T. Moran Firearms Facility site at 7600 E. Carey Ave., will be funded largely by private donations, McMahill said.
Officials expect it to be built in phases as funding becomes available, he said, and the recent renovation of a shooting range marked the first step in the process.
McMahill said the project started eight or nine years ago but never got off the ground. North Las Vegas Police Chief Alexander Perez said the project took off after he and Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo held a meeting about a year ago.
The facility could prove valuable for the valley’s law enforcement agencies, which already cooperate in other facets of their jobs, he said.
“We do not operate in silos,” Perez said.
Built in 1984, the shooting facility consisted of three ranges but has since expanded to 12, accommodating more students and law enforcement agencies at the state, local and federal levels, police said.
Metro’s existing firing range spans 6,370 acres, according to plans provided by the department’s public information office. Once the expansion of the compound is completed, it will cover an additional 273 acres provided through a merger with the North Las Vegas police firing range and the transferring of public lands, the plans indicate.
Metro, the North Las Vegas Police Department, the control board and the FBI funded the latest range expansion as part of the first phase of the training facility’s construction.
Future phases will be largely funded through private donations, but Metro spokesman Jay Rivera noted that a small portion may come through public funding. The amount of public funding depends on the private donations, he said.
The first phase will consist of a range house, classrooms, offices and training spaces for defense tactics and reality-based training. It also includes indoor and outdoor training grounds designed to simulate responses to a neighborhood, commercial areas, parks and even a casino. Locher estimated that its cost could reach $20 million.
Phase two will include an indoor firing range complex, new rifle ranges, additional classrooms and an auditorium. In the third phase, a track for emergency vehicles to train and an academy building will be created.
Each phase will be completed as long as the funding keeps coming, Locher said. He and others hope to keep public funding to a minimum.
MGM Resorts International has donated money to the initiative, but it wasn’t immediately clear how much.
Other casinos are expected to provide funding in the future, Locher said.
Learning, training together
Metro already works with other jurisdictions through its fusion center and trains its SWAT officers with valley agencies. The Oct. 1 shooting demonstrates a need for improved communication among responders and agencies, McMahill said.
Training together facilitates better communication because participants can watch how other agencies do their jobs, he added.
The compound can help first responders better prepare for mass casualty events such as earthquakes, vehicle-ramming into crowds and mass shootings,he said.
The completed facility could be “a sort of crown jewel of the West,” drawing people from across the country to train their emergency responders there, McMahill said.
Private entities such as security firms will train officers at the facility, too, Locher said. The definition of “first responder” is expanding to include officers with private security firms, and it’s important for them to be on the same page as law enforcement agencies, he said.
After visiting other law enforcement agencies across the country to examine their training grounds and methods, he said, one shortcoming was evident.
“I’ll tell you straight up; we have the best training out there,” Locher said. “We just don’t have the best facilities.”