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- Fifty Years of Fighting Crime: The Story of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
Fifty Years of Fighting Crime: The Story of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
![TMMFiftyYearsofFightingCrime_WebEventImage](https://themobmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/TMMFiftyYearsofFightingCrime_WebEventImage.jpg)
Date: July 12, 2023
Time:
7 to 8:30 p.m.
Cost:
Free for Museum Members or with Museum Admission
Watch
Mob hits, dangerous fugitives, casino robberies, one of the most horrific acts of domestic terrorism in U.S. history. Over the past 50 years — since the merger of the Las Vegas Police Department and Clark County Sheriff’s Department — the officers of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department have dealt with the darkest moments in the community’s history. A panel of current and retired Metro officers will share insights and stories reflecting the triumphs and challenges the state’s largest law enforcement agency has faced over its 50-year history.
Featured Speakers
Frances Walker
Frances Edwards Walker joined the Clark County Sheriff's Department in 1969 and quickly advanced to become the Fingerprint Supervisor. She excelled in all facets of the Fingerprint Section, including fingerprint classification and filing, as well as laws related to felon and sex offender registration.
As the Fingerprint Director, Frances played a crucial role in procuring the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS). Her expertise and professionalism garnered attention from law enforcement agencies and foreign countries, who sought to observe the system's capabilities.
Throughout her career, Frances maintained the largest fingerprint file system in Nevada, ensuring its integrity and collaborating effectively with the gaming industry and law enforcement agencies. She also contributed to the development of a more secure work card system for the gaming industry.
After retiring from the Metropolitan Police Department in 2000, Frances engaged in volunteer work at Mountain View Hospital and actively participated in her church's efforts to provide food for the less fortunate.
Sheriff Kevin McMahill
Sheriff Kevin McMahill was sworn in as the 8th sheriff of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department on Jan. 2, 2023. His renowned law enforcement career spans more than three decades of service at every level of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD).
After serving in the United States Army for three years, McMahill began his career with Metro in 1990—starting as a patrol officer and later serving as a field training officer and member of the academy training staff. In 2001, he was promoted to sergeant holding various positions in Patrol, Training and Internal Affairs. In 2006, he was again promoted to the rank of lieutenant serving in Patrol, Narcotics and the Homeland Security Bureau.
In 2010, he promoted to captain over the Bolden Area Command in West Las Vegas. At the time, the area command had the highest crime rates in nearly all categories. Expanding upon an initiative called Safe Village, McMahill developed non-traditional partnerships with various groups including the Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority, faith leaders, non-profit organizations, activists, and other community stakeholders. The effort from these partnerships resulted in a decrease of every type of crime, including a 40% drop in overall violence. It was the first time any area command finished the year with a reduction in each crime category. In recognition for success of this program, LVMPD received the prestigious Webber-Seavey award—the highest honor for excellence in community policing.
In 2011, McMahill was appointed to Deputy Chief of the Patrol Division where he supervised eight area commands. During that time, he was instrumental in expanding the innovative community policing programs he established at Bolden Area Command to all areas of the valley. These efforts would ultimately lead him to establish the Office of Community Engagement in 2015, which focuses solely on strengthening relationships with the community.
McMahill was then promoted to assistant sheriff in 2013, presiding over all operational aspects of the LVMPD. During his time as an assistant sheriff, McMahill held the department’s highest security clearance and worked closely with local and federal partners to oversee numerous high-profile cases.
McMahill was then promoted to undersheriff in 2014 by former Sheriff Doug Gillespie and he continued his service as the second-in-command under former sheriff, Joe Lombardo for six years. During his six years as undersheriff, McMahill provided strong and steady leadership to help our community through some of our biggest challenges, including the 1 October tragedy and the civil unrest that took place in 2020.
Greg McCurdy
Greg McCurdy served the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department for 30 years, rising through the ranks to retire as the Assistant Sheriff of the Homeland Security and Law Enforcement Investigations Group. During his career he served as a patrol officer, field training officer, and a recruiter, where he was awarded Police Officer of the Year in 1986. He promoted to Police Sergeant in 1987 and worked in several different positions as a Sergeant, including patrol, field training, special events, was the first Gang Intelligence Sergeant and was selected to be the first full-time Public Information Sergeant in 1995, where he started the “Police Officers Promoting Unity” radio talk show on KCEP FM 88.1, which is still ongoing. As a Lieutenant, he worked closely with the ATF to create the Firearms Enforcement Unit, and was also tasked with retooling the recruitment, background and polygraph units. Upon his promotion to Police Captain, he was assigned to the Criminalistics Bureau where he worked closely with the scientific units and crime scene investigation units. From there he went on to be the Commander of the Northwest Area Command and Financial and Property Crimes Units.
Greg began his tenure as an Executive Staff member as the Deputy Chief of Investigations, where he played a key role in the building of the Forensics Laboratory and Crime Scene Investigations offices and evidence processing laboratories, later serving as the Deputy Chief of Special Operations and Homeland Security before promoting to Assistant Sheriff. During his time as the Assistant Sheriff, he was responsible for Investigations and Homeland Security, and had a key role in the building of the headquarters complex.
During his last several years, he proudly participated in several professional organizations and executive development opportunities, to include the Criminal Intelligence Coordinating Council, Chair/Major Cities Chiefs Association Intelligence Commanders Group, Major Counties Sheriffs Association Intelligence Commanders Group, Gulf States Global Police Symposium in Abu Dhabi, FEMA National Preparedness Guidelines, Presidential Policy Workgroup, principal planner for Joint Counter Terrorism Workshop Series with DHS/FBI/National Counter Terrorism Center, principal representative for LVMPD for the U.S. State Department International Law Enforcement Training Agreement (Budapest, Hungary). He is a Graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigations National Academy Class 197, and he participated in two executive leadership level programs at Harvard University: the Senior Executives in State and Local Government and the National Preparedness Leadership Initiative Programs. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications Studies from the University of Nevada at Las Vegas.
Greg is a proud native of Las Vegas, Nevada, and is proud to have served his community for just over 30 years. He is currently a public safety technology and security consultant. He enjoys mentoring young police officers, traveling, and golfing.
Jerry Keller
Jerry Keller is a lifelong resident of Las Vegas. He joined the Clark County Sheriff’s Department in 1969 as he was completing his bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. His passion for education continued throughout his law enforcement career with Keller attending both the FBI National Academy and the National Executive Institute. After the Sheriff’s department merged with the City of Las Vegas Police Department, Keller rose through the ranks with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. He held positions in SWAT, Internal Affairs, and narcotics. He was regarded as a Sheriff who cared about his people and implemented LVMPD’s Police Employee Assistance Program which remains in effect today. In 1995, the people of Clark County elected Jerry Keller as their Sheriff. During his two terms in office, he received the prestigious Penrith Award, naming him the top law enforcement executive in the nation.
Linda Vaden
Linda Vaden began her career working for the Las Vegas Sheriff's Department, preparing affidavits during her summers in high school. After graduating, she joined the North Las Vegas Police Department as a records clerk and later became a dispatcher. Linda furthered her education at The College of Southern Nevada, earning an Associates of Arts degree. In 1986, she was promoted to Communications Supervisor at the Metropolitan Police Department, where she oversaw the establishment of a state-of-the-art command center. Linda also served as the United Way Coordinator for the department. In 1998, she transitioned to a successful career as a Realtor in Las Vegas.
Larry Ketzenberger
Larry Ketzenberger began his career with the Las Vegas Police Department in January 1960, which later merged into the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department in January 1988. Throughout his tenure, he worked in various capacities within the department, including Detention, Uniform Field Services, Detective Bureau, Juvenile Division, Training Academy, and Community Relations. Larry's contributions to law enforcement were instrumental in the development and implementation of a plan to merge the police and sheriff's departments. After the merger, he served as the Commander of the Patrol Bureau. In his role as Assistant Sheriff for Staff Services, Larry effectively coordinated and supervised division managers responsible for Communications, Records, Criminalistics, Personnel, and Detention Bureaus. With a workforce of 700 employees and a $30 million budget, Larry played a key role in policy development, handling employee grievances, negotiating contracts, and overseeing the implementation of a federal consent decree to address jail overcrowding. Under his guidance, a new state-of-the-art detention facility was constructed. Larry actively participated in legislative and government activities, representing the department at five bi-annual Nevada legislative sessions. In this capacity, he contributed to the development and passage of the department's legislative package, reviewed bills impacting law enforcement and public interests, collaborated with other agencies, and provided testimony before legislative committees. Larry was appointed by the governor to a committee tasked with establishing privacy legislation for arrest records. Additionally, he served on a state advisory committee responsible for the implementation of a state criminal history records repository. Larry earned an Associate Degree in Law Enforcement from UNLV in 1972 and subsequently obtained a B.S. Degree in Business Administration in the same year. Larry furthered his education by completing an M.B.A. Degree in Business at UNLV in 1974. Later, in 1991, he earned a Juris Doctor Degree from the University of San Diego School of Law, adding legal expertise to his skill set.
David Groover
Richard David Groover served with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) from 1975 to 1986. During his tenure, he undertook various assignments, including roles such as Patrol Officer, Intelligence - Organized Crime Detective, and Sergeant. As a detective in the Organized Crime Bureau, he successfully managed some of the most complex cases, resulting in successful prosecutions. He also developed crucial inter-agency relationships during this time. As a Sergeant, Groover held supervisory positions over different units, including a patrol squad, the Special Weapons and Tactics Section (S.W.A.T.), and the Field Training Section for new recruits. After leaving the LVMPD, Groover served as the Assistant Court Administrator for the Las Vegas Municipal Court from 1986 to 1987. In this role, he supervised and managed the Court Operations Division and the Court Field Services Division. He worked closely with elected Judges, prepared annual budgets for the Municipal Court, and oversaw approximately 120 employees. Additionally, Groover was appointed as the Chief Marshal, responsible for ensuring the work performance of the P.O.S.T Certified Marshals assigned to work Court Security, in the Court Room, and as Field Marshals.
In 1987, Groover ventured into self-employment and founded David Groover & Associates, Inc. As a licensed private investigator in Nevada, he provided services to local governmental agencies, private corporations, and individuals. He also worked extensively with the Federal, State, and Local court systems. In 2021, Groover was appointed as a Commissioner of the Nevada Transportation Authority.