Police Chief Out: Mayor seeks ‘new direction’ for LVPD
Las Vegas will soon have a new chief of police, Mayor Louie Trujillo confirmed this week. Current Chief of Police David Bibb has been notified of the change in command, but has agreed to remain in the role until his replacement takes over.
“I’d like to thank Mr. Bibb for the job that he did while he was there, and for his professionalism,” Trujillo said.
Trujillo has chosen a replacement for Bibb, but said he won’t make a formal announcement until he presents the candidate to Las Vegas City Council. That announcement could come as early as the next regular meeting, which is scheduled for July 15.
The city has struggled to retain a police chief in recent years, and Bibb has only been on the job for 19 months. He was appointed by former mayor Tonita Gurule-Giron in November 2017 to replace Jerry Delgado, who resigned just days after starting the job.
The shakeup follows similar shifts in other high-profile positions within the city following Trujillo’s election victory. In April, within weeks of being sworn in as mayor, Trujillo appointed City Manager William Taylor, City Attorney Scott Aaron and Community Development Director William Hendrickson.
Trujillo said that appointing a new police chief is the next step in changing how the Las Vegas Police Department interacts with those in the community.
“I want to take the police department into a new direction,” he said. “We’re moving more into community policing.”
Trujillo’s vision of community policing involves more emphasis on law enforcement diversion programs that aim to reduce incarceration for those with addictions or mental illness. He also plans to make police officers more approachable by having them be more involved in the community.
“It’s a whole new concept of community policing,” Trujillo said. “Everything from getting out of their cars and walking the beat to doing more things within our schools.”
To help facilitate communication between police and the community, Trujillo said he also plans to establish a community policing committee composed of citizens who work closely with the police department to shape policies and address concerns people may have about policing in their neighborhoods.
“The police department is moving in this new direction,” Trujillo said. “It’s going to be a bigger part of the community, and the community will be a bigger part of the police department as well.”
