Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill has modified the Metropolitan Police Department’s vehicle pursuit policy to allow officers to pursue motorists suspected of DUI, driving stolen vehicles or people wanted in extensive police investigations.
McMahill said Metro previously would simply not chase those drivers, and supervisors will still decide whether to initiate a pursuit on a case-by-case basis, factoring in dangers to the public, road conditions, weather, and the availability of technology to track fleeing motorists.
“If we just let them go constantly, they are going to continue to commit crime in our community,” McMahill said.
He said criminals were increasingly aware of the fact that Metro would often not pursue them if they simply sped away from officers. Letting motorists drive away after police when officers are convinced the person committed a serious crime is “not acceptable,” he said.
In addition to DUI and stolen vehicle investigations, pursuits will be allowed for what McMahill described as “major case protocol subjects.”
“When we have a very large crime series, as an example, and an individual has committed a bunch of crimes,” McMahill said. “We put a lot of resources, the whole agency into it, and now all of the sudden you don’t have the ability to pursue the individual.”
McMahill acknowledged the policy change comes with risk.
“It is a heavy burden if I am going to be very candid with you,” McMahill said. “I understand the other side of it. There are lots of people who are worried about people getting hurt because of a police pursuit. In fact that has happened many times before.”
McMahill said he would not ignore the potential risks.
“I am trying to bring more responsibility into how we manage and conduct pursuits while also going out and getting the individuals preying on people within our community,” the sheriff said.
Technological advancements that assist police in pursuits are a key component in the policy change, McMahill said. That includes the use of drones, helicopters and a device known as the “Grappler,” a police immobilization device that snags the wheels of fleeing vehicles, bringing them to a quick stop.
Police pursuits have been a hot topic in law enforcement for decades. In a 2024 report, the San Francisco Chronicle found more than 3,300 people were killed in police pursuits in the United States from 2017 to 2022. A handful of cases in the Las Vegas Valley and across the region also highlight the dangers.
This year, a woman was seriously injured after police briefly followed a reckless-driving suspect in North Las Vegas. Despite a decision to stop following the fleeing vehicle, the car driven by a juvenile later slammed into a female motorist and caused her serious injuries. Also this year, Metro and North Las Vegas police ended a police pursuit of a man who had stolen a bus and was driving recklessly. Even though the pursuit had ended, the motorist continued driving recklessly and ended up killing a motorcyclist.
In 2o18 in Las Vegas, a police pursuit of a carjacking suspect ended with a woman being seriously injured. In Kingman, Arizona, a woman was killed in 2014 during a police chase. In Las Vegas in 2012, a Metro officer was acquitted by a jury of all charges stemming from a fatal crash that unfolded during what authorities said at the time was a police pursuit.
Sometimes police pursuits end with catastrophic results. In 2015 in Arizona, six people were killed and seven were injured during a police chase.
Policies on police pursuits can vary from agency to agency. The Henderson Police Department said it allows vehicle pursuits under certain circumstances.
“Officers may initiate a pursuit when there is reasonable suspicion a felony has occurred and the danger posed by the suspect’s escape outweighs the risk to the public,” Henderson police said.
On July 10, Metro released a report documenting the department’s use of force and vehicle pursuit numbers from 2021 to 2025. The report said that pursuits “are hazardous and will only be authorized for a violent felony offense of if the suspect presents a clear and present danger to the public.”
Metro carried out 60 vehicle pursuits in 2025, which was slightly less than the five-year average of 64. In 2025, vehicle pursuits were initiated for felony offenses 90 percent of the time.
McMahill said Metro’s pursuit policy is fluid and reviewed regularly.
“At the end of the day the No. 1 thing is we have to weigh the risk to the public against the nature of the offense,” McMahill said. “That is something that I am asking the supervisory groups the sergeants, the lieutenants, the watch commanders to consistently weigh in on.”
Contact Glenn Puit at gpuit@reviewjournal.com.
