Steve Grammas calls things as he sees. Grammas does not hesitate to express his opinion, whether it’s praising or criticizing the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. The Las Vegas Police Protective Association President knows that his job is to look out for the interests of the members of the association.
Grammas and I spoke for the first time in October 2017. I was writing a piece on the victims in the Las Vegas Valley of the mass shooting that occurred on October 1, 2017 at the Route 91 Harvest Festival, on the Las Vegas Strip. Grammas paid tribute to off-duty officer Charleston Hartfield for a piece I was writing for The New York Daily News. He was one of the more than 60 victims who died in that attack.
Grammas will speak for fallen and injured local law enforcement officers, especially when the family is too distraught to do so. Sometimes that means continuing to support cops who have survived their injuries, but still face lifelong challenges. Metro Officer Shay Mikalonis is one of these officers. He was shot and paralyzed the night of George Floyd’s protests in Las Vegas, in June 2020. Grammas stays in touch with Mikalonis’ family and the LVPPA does its best to support them.
Grammas says he learned from his father how to be both a protector of the people and compassionate. Grammas claims he learned compassion and protection from his father. Even still, Steve Grammas admits that today’s police are faced with a level of danger and disrespect unimaginable years ago. The “defunding the police” movement is largely the fault of politicians. Please read his responses to 20 questions posed by Vegas Legal Magazine for more information on Grammas’ views on this and many other topics.
VLM: What is the Las Vegas Police Protective Association? Please explain to our readers what its mission is.
Our primary role has always been to provide legal defense for commissioned officers of the LVMPD, and negotiate contracts on their behalf. LVPPA’s mission has always been “to protect those who protect others”. Over the years, we have expanded our community programs to include book drives, food drives and toy drives.
VLM Can You Talk About The Success Of Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department In Reducing Use-of-Deadly Force Incidents?
SG: I believe that the use or deadly force depends on the actions taken by the suspect in an incident. We train to try to avoid encounters where officers have to use deadly force. I think that, statistically speaking, the use of deadly force fluctuates yearly depending on the level or commitment of the bad guy.
VLM How do you see Metro as a role model for other departments of police around the country?
SG: LVMPD provides a good initial training for new officers and those in the academy. I believe that what we teach, and how we do it, are unmatched. LVMPD, however, has a tendency to reduce the level of training once officers have graduated from the academy. Instead they focus on clearing calls and ensuring that an officer continues to practice good habits.
VLM: Your father was a career policeman in New York, and later at Metro. What did he teach you about being a policeman?
SG: My dad taught me how to be a police officer the community expects of me. My father was a model police officer because he was both tough and compassionate, depending on the situation. When the situation calls for it, an officer must be able switch from being a counselor and advocate to a protector. We have to be prepared to deal with the most violent people on earth.
VLM What would you say about Metro’s handling the unrest in 2020 after other cities experienced riots due to the death of George Floyd?
SG: We did a good job. I thought we were underprepared at first and let the crowds do too much. This changed after Shay was killed, and we increased our activity where it was needed.
VLM : What issues do you think may affect police in the 2023 Nevada Legislature?
(Joe) Lombardo was elected. (Joe Lombardo) was elected. I knew that there would be several changes to the Legislature if (former Governor) Sisolak won. Steve) Sisolak’s election victory would have made our job harder and our citizens less secure. Governor. Lombardo’s background in law enforcement means that I am confident that bills affecting citizens and police officers will never see the light.
VLM: What is the importance of Gov. Joe Lombardo’s new taskforce on reducing criminality? What are the areas you believe it will impact?
SG: I served on the task force of the Governor. I know that he is trying to address the theft and narcotics problems we’ve seen. The amount of narcotics that can be carried by suspects without being sentenced to prison was increased. The total amount of stolen items (that an individual can take without being prosecuted) was also raised in previous legislative sessions. I know that he is concerned about the epidemic of fentanyl and also wants to tackle this issue.
VLM In Nevada, how would you like to handle fentanyl-related cases in terms of charges and sentences?
SG: The (drug) amount levels that carry mandatory prison sentences should be lowered – even to less than what the Democratic Nevada State Senate majority leader Nicole) Cannizzaro, and (Nevada attorney general Arron) Ford, are requesting. Even the smallest amounts of fentanyl have caused catastrophic deaths. This is a matter that needs to be addressed immediately, and I’m sure the governor will put it at the top of his list. The (required minimum amounts for mandatory prison sentences) for those who traffic in fentanyl should be much lower than the (required minimum amounts for regular narcotics traffickers).
VLM What would you do to help substance abusers while also fighting the war on drugs?
SG: For almost six years, I was a Narcotics officer and for about one and a half of those years, I was an undercover detective. While we do have problems with thefts and other crimes among drug users who are habitual, our main focus was on the suppliers. I believe we must offer more support to help people get off drugs. We need to hit the people who are flooding the streets with drugs and creating new users each day. It is a huge business for the dealers, and they make a lot of money. We rarely had recreational users/addicts in possession of half an ounce of narcotics. Dealers were those who had these amounts, and even more. We did not help the users by raising the limits for drug possession (which would have resulted in mandatory prison sentences). We made it more difficult to get rid of dealers.
VLM : Could you tell me about the current status of Metro’s drug busts, and how the tactics and challenges have changed through the years?
SG: When I was in the narcotics division, we were trained frequently. We practiced a lot of bust-outs and search warrant entry to reach a level where these situations were second nature. I think more training in these sections is offered and the focus is on minimizing injuries to both officers and suspects.
How has the Las Vegas Valley changed over the years in terms of policing?
SG: People had more respect for officers when my father worked in the early 1980s and I started my career in late 1990s. People did not scream obscenities at police officers or shove their cellphone cameras in their faces. They treated the police officer with respect. Now I see politicians telling the citizens that they can scream and abuse officers. Every citizen, including police officers, should be treated respectfully and with dignity. I believe society has lost this feeling.
VLM Can we get an update about Metro Officer Shay Mikalonis who was shot and paralyzed during the George Floyd protests on Las Vegas night in 2020?
Shay’s life will never be the exact same. His life was forever altered by some scumbag. He is a young man who is tough and is still trying to live his life. He has attended many public events, and refuses not to remain in his house.
VLM: What is the experience of working with Kevin McMahill, new Clark County Sheriff? What are the differences between his style and goals, compared to those of former Sheriff Joe Lombardo (now Governor)?
Sheriff McMahill was my undersheriff when (then Sheriff Joe)Lombardo was the sheriff. We have always enjoyed a good working partnership. He has shown a real passion in making sure that the officers on the front lines enjoy their work. Kevin is more approachable, but I believe that Joe has a similar style. In my role, Joe and i had a good understanding of each and i enjoyed our time together.
VLM What was the impact of the national “defunding the police” movement on the morale and recruitment in Metro and other police departments throughout the Las Vegas Valley.
SG: Defunding the police was a heartbreaking narrative for our local officers. Every day, an officer risks their life to serve another. Yet citizens and politicians continue to chant that the police are the problem, not criminals. This rhetoric has caused many of my family members to leave the police force over the past three years. I also know that our recruitment numbers have taken a sharp decline, and this shows the number of funded but unfilled positions at LVMPD.
VLM : How can law enforcement be protected from criminals that want to target the police?
SG: Politicians must stop igniting the fires and stirring up criminal elements against law enforcement. Criminals are currently feeling that they have supporters in both the criminal justice system and the state legislature. If this continues, the attacks on police officers are likely to continue.
VLM: In the recent Easter Week, or Holy Week, there was an increased police presence in local churches. How will the police protect targets that are outside of resort corridors? How many officers are there?
SG: I have mentioned that we are short of many officers at LVMPD. It is difficult for officers to cover all areas of the city every minute. The numbers that we maintain are worse than ever. We try to be as visible as possible in neighborhoods and businesses, even though the focus is on the strip. However, our lack of manpower is making it harder to provide manpower for the residents of Clark County.
VLM What can local law-enforcement officials do to avoid the Las Vegas Valley experiencing crime waves similar to those in Baltimore, New York City, Chicago, or St. Louis, given the increase of crime across the nation?
SG: We do a good job of involving the community in discussions about law enforcement, and how we interact. The sheriff and executive staff are doing a fantastic job of reaching out to different groups within our community, and reassuring them about the differences between LVMPD and other agencies. These relationships can go a long ways in building bridges after an incident.
VLM What would deter criminals from committing crimes in Nevada if they ever adopted a system of “no cash bail”?
SG: Criminals would be released in record numbers. People would feel more empowered if they knew that bail was not required and would be released instantly without any bail being posted.
VLM: In a similar vein, is Nevada’s bail too low? Are sentences too lenient in the United States?
SG: We are focused on our own lane as law enforcement. We enforce the law and trust that the district attorneys office will follow through. This is a question that should be asked by both the DA and lawmakers.
Are you in favor of incarcerating mentally ill criminals or treating them?
SG: I do not. Mental illness is one of the many issues that our officers face every day. They prefer to help them rather than put them in jail. The state must do more to fund mental health advocates who can work with our officers. It is not the goal to cut funding to the police in order to switch to this model. Instead, it should be to overfund both police officers and mental-health professionals.
Valerie Miller, a journalist with a distinguished career in the Las Vegas Valley, can be reached at (702) 683-3986 or [email protected]. She can be reached at (702) 683-3986 or [email protected].
The post To protect and to serve: LVPPA president Steve Grammas seeks to protect the cops who protect us first appeared on Vegas Legal Magazine.