LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The Las Vegas police count every crash involving their vehicles and they have identified one area in town where the department is seeing a big jump.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department reported a 10.8% decrease in police-involved collisions for this year compared to last, according to bureau statistics. South Central Area Command, which covers a portion of the tourist corridor, university district, and Winchester neighborhood, saw a 188.9% year-over-year increase in collisions involving metro vehicles.
The effort to keep collisions low is encouraged by Lt. Landon Reyes, with the LVMPD Organizational Development Bureau, who oversees the Emergency Vehicle Operation Course (EVOC) which trains officers in defensive driving techniques.
“It’s as realistic as we can make it,” Reyes said. “We focus on something called stress inoculation, and that is able to get our heart rate down, our breathing, let our minds focus on what we’re doing during that critical moment.”
| Total police involved collisions | 2024* | 2023 |
| Totals | 363 | 407 |
Since 1980, EVOC training has aimed to keep officers informed about the challenges of Las Vegas roadways, while also reinforcing what it feels like on both ends of a pursuit.
“It’s very nerve-racking to actually make intentional contact with the vehicle,” he said. “They need to understand what it feels like to make contact with the vehicle, where the point of contact is, and utilize that tactic safely and appropriately. There’s a lot of fallout that can’t happen when the vehicle spins out.”
There are cones spread out along the three-tiered EVOC road courses around the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. As the Nellis Air Force Base fighter jets roared overhead, the sound of sirens was not drowned out as police officers swerved in a simulated pursuit of a suspect’s vehicle.
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The cones along the three-tiered EVOC road courses are spread out around the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. (KLAS) -
Since 1980, EVOC training has focused on keeping officers up to date on challenges on Las Vegas roadways and reinforce what it feels like on both ends of a pursuit. (KLAS) -
The cones along the three-tiered EVOC road courses are spread out around the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. (KLAS)
“High speeds, some tire smoking, no jumps or anything like that,” Reyes said. “It gives our students a little bit more realistic approach of taking a very, very far left or right turn at 60 to 70 miles per hour and understand the capabilities of the vehicle.”
| Top collision factors | 2024* | 2023 |
| Driver inattention | 52 | 52 |
| Other improper driving | 11 | 13 |
| Unsafe backing | 31 | 49 |
| Following too closely | 17 | 15 |
| Failure to maintain lane | 6 | 2 |
| Failure to yield right of way | 27 | 14 |
| Made improper turn | 40 | 50 |
The excitement of the training is preceded by class certification for officers who are drilled on the finer points of their vehicles, state law, and the practice of being an example to other drivers.
“We do have a saying ‘You can’t arrive, you can’t assist,’” he said. “Our fellow officers in the community are relying on you, so don’t drive out of control, don’t exceed the speed limit.”
Reyes reiterated the push for more training comes from the top, noting safety as a priority.
“There’s many officers out in this agency that have been on double the time I have, but our sheriff and executive staff hits home the safe driving campaign,” Reyes said. “We’re not going to forget those officers who sacrificed their lives, and we’re not going to forget the training that we must adhere to. That’s what they pushed down for us with executive staff to ensure that this training is as realistic as possible.”
