Las Vegas Police Release 5-Year Report on Use of Force and Chases

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department on Thursday released its five-year use of force and vehicle pursuit report, detailing efforts to make changes and improvements from 2019 to 2023.

The report details shootings and other cases of police use of force and how police are working to prevent them.

The department stated this is an effort to reduce response times while ensuring the safety of LVMPD personnel and citizens.

Statistics released Thursday show that the number of police-involved shootings in 2023 decreased compared to previous years.

The LVMPD reported 10 police-involved shootings among 1,487,536 incidents in 2023. This was down from 14 in 2022 and the five-year high of 19 in 2020.

Of the shootings recorded in the LVMPD’s jurisdiction in 2023, 50% were fatal, according to published statistics.

Geographical locations were also addressed in the report: The Southeast Area Command has recorded the most police shootings since 2019, followed by the Downtown Area Command.

The use of non-lethal force to de-escalate situations was also recorded: in 2023 there were 947 cases, an increase compared to 2022.

Non-lethal-force incidents included the use of police dogs, electronic devices such as tasers, or even the use of hand tactics instead of firearms.

Vehicle chases were also addressed, with changes being made to the number of officers permitted and movements now being assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Overall, the LVMPD called the report an attempt to highlight the importance of ethics, values ​​and professionalism as officers do their best to keep Southern Nevada residents safe.

Click HERE to view the full report.