Leading With Vision: How Sheriff Kevin McMahill is Changing Las Vegas From the Precincts to the Streets

By Daryl K. Jones

Trigger Warning: If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, you are not alone. Call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline 24/7 at 9-8-8 and speak with someone who understands.

Las Vegas, Nevada – /News Reported by LaGuardia Media and Public Relations/ – As the son of a firefighter, Sheriff Kevin McMahill has always been inspired to public service. Sheriff McMahill‘s father was the most highly decorated firefighter in his department in Denver, which gave young Kevin both an exemplary role model, and quite the hefty shoes to fill. In true McMahill fashion, though, Sheriff Kevin would rise to the challenge. First becoming a Las Vegas Metro policeman, then a police officer in his hometown of Denver, and now the head of the top law enforcement agency in Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world.

After completing his service in the United States Army by the age of 21, McMahill was hired at Las Vegas Metro by the age of 22. McMahill also worked as Undersheriff when Governor Joe Lombardo was Sheriff of Clark County. Boasting an impressive 35 years of service (and after being sheriff for 3 years) Sheriff McMahill is still humble enough to pay homage to the position he holds stating, “a lot of great people held this office long before me”.

Sheriff McMahill holds a special place in his heart for Las Vegas as a “unique and special city” that is “always on”. “You can get anything at any time” states Sheriff McMahill. “You want to get a drink at 2:00 in the morning? You can go get a drink. If you want to get a great meal at 10:00 at night, not a problem. You want to see world-class entertainment all day long? Not a problem.” Sheriff McMahill has a certain pride in his tone when speaking about Vegas, and even has a favorite saying about the city he protects: “Everybody leaves at one time or another…they all come back, too.”

It is safe to say that it takes a special kind of person to ascend to the highest law enforcement office in the county, and to understand such a person, one must understand the experiences that shape such a person. Considering the many factors that impact members of law enforcement on a daily basis, this is a lot to unpack. Members of law enforcement are subjected to horrific sights, and incidents of cruelty that leave them dealing with trauma, as they are humans just like us. Trained for such incidents, and in some cases desensitized to it all, they may not be affected quite as a civilian would. When you take into account that desensitization and dissociation are responses to trauma in their own right, however, the picture becomes a lot more clear.

One evening, McMahill receives a call to the Hamptons Apartments at 3070 S. Nellis. There was a young woman who was in a love triangle with two other women at the time. The young woman was standing underneath the carport, standing over a shotgun when he arrived. While McMahill was attempting to negotiate with the young woman, she pushed the trigger of the shotgun with her toe, killing herself instantly right in front of him. This is something that our Sheriff will never forget, and something that has shaped who he is as a sheriff today. “It had a profound impact on me as far as what mental health looks like, and how we treat each other”, Sheriff McMahill reveals. The impact was so profound, in fact, that as Sheriff, McMahill has instituted a Wellness Bureau in the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

The Wellness Bureau has 7 clinicians that the Sheriff has hired as full-time employees to tend to the mental health needs of the men and women of the police force, their family members, as well as retired members of the Metro P.D. This is visionary leadership that actually translates to better and safer policing, and better service and protection of the residents of Clark County.

Just as he has affected change internally, Sheriff McMahill takes sincere community outreach just as seriously. Making inroads with the Black and lower income communities of Las Vegas to restore trust and build relationships is of the utmost importance to the department. More now than ever, and under his watchful leadership, citizens can feel like they have an actual voice, and for the first time, law enforcement is working with them, not against them.

The City of Las Vegas is fortunate to have a Sheriff like Kevin McMahill. One who is empathetic enough to lead justly, but experienced enough to mete out justice wisely and swiftly. In other words, he’s kind, but don’t take his kindness for weakness. Just the kind of Sheriff Las Vegas needs.

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, you are not alone. Call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline 24/7 at 9-8-8 and speak with someone who understands.

Press Contact: LaGuardia Media and Public Relations

Leslie LaGuardia
Daryl K. Jones
daryl@laguardiapr.com
leslie@laguardiapr.com
laguardiapr@gmail.com
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