Sheriff's deputy: staffing shortages shrink responses; alarm companies must verify calls, deputy says

Deputy Debbie Frigon of the Clark County Sheriff’s Office told a neighborhood association meeting that staffing shortages have forced a change in call response priorities and reduced the department’s ability to provide traffic enforcement.

“Due to staffing concern… I have a feeling it’s gonna be speeding,” Frigon said, describing patrol staffing that leaves only four deputies assigned to much of the western side of the county. “To safely run any call, you need 2 people, which means across all of Western Clark County, we can only handle the calls at the time,” she said.

Frigon said the sheriff’s office adopted new response protocols to free deputies for higher-priority work. She warned that deputies will no longer routinely respond to alarm-company calls unless a resident or an alarm company first verifies evidence of a crime. “If your alarm company calls, you’re not going to it,” she said; she advised residents to call themselves and report what they see so the department will dispatch.

She also said traffic enforcement units have been sharply reduced and that deputies try to prioritize fatal and high‑priority calls. Frigon urged the public to report suspicious behavior and specific information such as vehicle license plates; she said some deputies use that information to find outstanding warrants and make arrests.

County Councilor Sue Marshall, present at the meeting, said recruitment, retention and funding efforts are underway and asked for neighborhood support for any packages the council advances to increase staffing.

Ending: Frigon asked residents to use 311 to report recurring nuisance activity (she cited can collectors, or “canners,” as an example), to call police directly when they observe suspicious persons or vehicles, and to be realistic about patrol limitations until staffing levels increase.