Oct. 1 first responders METRO’S NEW REALITY: LONG-TERM THERAPY FOR POLICE

As the opioid epidemic punishes parts of the country, some of that drug use and trafficking — initially prevalent in the East Coast — is moving west, Lombardo said. “we’re starting to see an increase on that,” Lombardo said of the powerful synthetic opioid, fentanyl.

Locally, fentanyl has been spotted in laced MDMA, or molly, making the new mix a “drug of choice,” Lombardo said.

As the one-year anniversary of the Route 91 Harvest Festival approaches, Lombardo reflected upon one of his other new realities: officers requiring long-term therapy.

“I haven’t in my police experience had a reason to be concerned of such longterm care for our employees,” he said, noting he expected to see post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms among some Metro officers as the anniversary of the Oct. 1 shooting approaches and is remembered.

Though he didn’t have a number of officers who have sought aid for PTSD, Lomardo offered that “surprisingly it was a lot less that I thought there would be.” He noted there were “very few” officers still seeking help.

He knows of only one officer who decided to leave Metro as a result of the mass shooting, Lombardo said.

Lombardo, who recently was re-elected, intends to oversee the opening of a new Metro substation in Summerlin. The agency partnered with the Howard Hughes Corp., developer of Summerlin. The facility is expected to open in early 2020.

With an expanding geography, distance cops have to travel to certain parts of the valley, can delay response, and this facility should ease that, he said.

Lombardo aims for Metro to work with Southern Nevada municipalities to try to alleviate jail populations by identifying and developing resources to increase bed spaces for the homeless and mentally ill, conditions which often time intertwine.