I have been working as a council member for the City of Las Vegas for over two years. In that time, I have been on countless ride-alongs with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and City of Las Vegas’ Department of Public Safety deputy marshals. I can’t articulate in one sitting my feelings of despair related to the dozens of calls on which I have been, but I can explain my thoughts about one.  

Last year, on a weekday around 11:00 am, we were dispatched to a call in an apartment complex where a grandmother was frightened of her granddaughter’s excessive drug use.  Three officers arrived on the scene to find a young woman in her 30s who had contemplated suicide after a conflict arose when her grandmother found needles in her bathroom. When we arrived, the grandmother, a woman in her 80s, invited us in and started crying. The apartment was no more than 500 or 600 square feet, with a living room, small kitchen and a bathroom.  There were two mattresses on the floor.  The grandmother explained that her granddaughter had been getting more and more violent, and she was afraid to continue living with her.  

One officer sat with the older woman while the other officers relocated the granddaughter to the other side of the apartment complex. She was tragically thin, in her pajamas, and had noticeable track marks on her arms and legs. The officers were kind and gentle, but at a loss for how best to proceed with the service request. They offered to take the young woman to rehab, explained her grandmother’s position, and asked what she thought should happen. The result was that the granddaughter got upset, picked up some belongings and walked away. The officers consoled the grandmother for some time. 

I often wonder what happened to that woman and her granddaughter. I drove by their apartment complex last week on my way to City Hall. It burned down a few months ago. Were they able to relocate or are they two of the many people we see on the streets of Las Vegas? 

To confront issues like these, the City of Las Vegas and the Metropolitan Police Department are trying something different: We are collaborating on a pilot program to bring social service workers to crisis calls with police officers.

The Las Vegas City Council approved the agreement last month, and we expect to begin hiring soon. This new service will ensure our police officers are equipped to connect those experiencing crises and tragedy to experienced social workers on site (within the pilot area that I represent). We know we need to help keep people off of the streets, and in order to do that, we need smart solutions that involve working with our first responders. 

Police Officers train to address traffic violations, public safety, violence, and so much more to keep our community safe. When someone in Las Vegas calls 911 for assistance, the police show up — and now, some will be accompanied by a social worker who can help support the individual in crisis. Our long-term vision is that this pilot program launches to other areas in our community as a collective strategy to mitigate our mental health crises, and homelessness in the Las Vegas Valley. 

To solve our community’s most systemic issues, we need to work together to build programs that will last. This pilot program represents a fresh approach to mitigating some of our most intractable challenges.   

Brian Knudsen is a member of the Las Vegas City Council, Vice Chair of the Southern Nevada Health District and chair of the Las Vegas Medical District.