Shielding Eliason
Why is state Sen. Mo Denis, a Las Vegas Democrat, swooping in to try to rescue North Las Vegas Constable Robert Eliason?
Sen. Denis said last week that he has requested a bill draft to excise language in state law requiring urban constables — who handle the delivery of subpoenas, eviction notices and other legal documents — to undergo training in law enforcement standards and practices. The measure is an obvious effort to run interference for Mr. Eliason.
Voters elected Mr. Eliason in 2014 and he assumed the duties of his new six-figure job the following January. Under state law, he had one year to complete the necessary training. Nine months into his term, however, he requested and received a six-month extension from the Nevada Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training.
But more than halfway through his four-year term, and seven months after the extension expired, Mr. Eliason has yet to become certified. Under the law, a constable who fails to complete the training gives up his office and the Clark County Commission appoints a replacement.
The commissioners have yet to act — and now Sen. Denis enters the picture. Certification “doesn’t make sense for the constables,” he said. “Currently those guys are administrators and they don’t even go out in the field.”
In fact, the mandate does indeed make sense given that the constable and his deputies are quasi law enforcement officers who carry weapons and even issue traffic citations.
All this is rather odd. In 2013, in the wake of a scandal involving the Las Vegas constable, lawmakers imposed the training requirements in an effort to avoid future scandals. Assembly Bill 223 passed unanimously four years ago in both the state Senate and Assembly. Among those voting in favor: Mo Denis.
Perhaps Mr. Denis’s position on the issue has simply “evolved.” But his proposal oozes with the rancid cronyism that nourishes the deep-rooted and destructive cynicism with which many of those lacking cozy insider status now view our public institutions.
Sen. Denis should abandon this ill-founded effort to shield Mr. Eliason from the consequences of his indifference. Meantime, the county commissioners should do their jobs and move forward in search of a replacement for Mr. Eliason, who has yet to offer any explanation for his failure to follow the law.