The Sheriff of Clark County, officially The Sheriff of the County of Clark, is the chief law enforcement officer of Clark County,

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

. The Sheriff heads the

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (also known as the LVMPD or Metro) is a combined city and county law enforcement agency for the City of Las Vegas and Clark County, Nevada, United States. It is headed by the Sheriff of Clark County, ...

, is elected by the citizens of Clark County, and is an independent agency with joint policing of the City of

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Veg ...

and of unincorporated Clark County. The sheriff is the only elected head law enforcement officer within the city and county, and, as such, is not under the direct control of the city, county, state, or federal government. The current sheriff is Kevin McMahill, who became sheriff after

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Joe Lombardo Joseph Michael Lombardo (born November 8, 1962) is an American politician and law enforcement officer serving as the 31st governor of Nevada since January 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he was the 17th sheriff of Clark County from 2015 ...

resigned to become Governor of Nevada.

History

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department was formed on July 1, 1961, by merging the former Las Vegas Police Department with the Clark County Sheriff's Department, with the Sheriff serving as its chief. The result is that Metro polices within the city limits of Las Vegas and all unincorporated areas and towns within Clark County.

Staff

Metro has more than 5,100 members. Of these, over 2,700 are police officers of various ranks and over 750 are corrections officers of various ranks.

List of Clark County Sheriffs

*Charles Corkhill, 1909–1911 *Sam Gay, 1911–1917 *Will Mundy, 1917 (acting) *Jay Warren Woodard, 1917 (acting) *Sam Gay, 1917–1931 *Joe Keate, 1931–1936 *Bill Mott, 1936–1937 *Gene Ward, 1937–1943 *

Glen Jones Glen C. Jones (1910–1983) was born on July 15, 1910, in Overton, Nevada and moved to Las Vegas in 1929. He began his law enforcement career in 1935 with the Clark County Sheriff's Office. He worked his way through the ranks and eventually ser ...

, 1943–1955 *Butch Leypoldt, 1955–1961 *

Ralph Lamb Ralph James Lamb (April 10, 1927 – July 3, 2015) was an American law enforcement officer and the 11th Sheriff of Clark County from 1961 to 1979. He was a member of the Republican Party. Lamb was born in Alamo, Nevada, one of 11 children born t ...

, 1961–1979 (CCSO) *John McCarthy, 1979–1983 *John Moran, 1983–1995 (LVPD) *

Jerry Keller Jerry Paul Keller (born June 20, 1937) is an American pop singer and songwriter, best known for his 1959 hit song "Here Comes Summer". Career Born in Fort Smith, Arkansas, Keller moved with his family to Tulsa, Oklahoma, when he was six, and ...

, 1995–2003 (CCSO) *

Bill Young Charles William Young (December 16, 1930 – October 18, 2013) was an American politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1971 until his death in 2013. A Republican from Florida, Young served as chairman of the H ...

, 2003–2007 *

Doug Gillespie Douglas James Gillespie (13 December 1887 – 6 January 1947) was an Australian rules footballer who played for Carlton in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Family One of the eight children (five boys and three girls) of James Gillespie ( ...

, 2007–2015 *

, 2015–2023 *Kevin McMahill, 2023–present

Notes

{{Reflist Government of Clark County, Nevada Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Nevada sheriffs