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Nevada State Police seek digital forensics staff and propose illicit‑cannabis task force as investigators face backlog
Summary
The Department of Public Safety told a legislative subcommittee it needs non‑sworn digital forensics technicians and one sworn investigator to reduce a backlog of digital evidence and free sworn detectives to work active and cold cases, and it requested staff for a five‑person illicit cannabis enforcement unit tied to new statutory responsibilities.
The Department of Public Safety's investigative division presented budget requests to expand digital forensic capacity and to staff an illicit cannabis enforcement unit during a subcommittee hearing on the agency budget.
Mike Edgell, chief of the investigation division, told lawmakers the division currently has 64 FTEs, 32 of which are sworn, and operates statewide investigative units including narcotics task forces, major crimes units in Carson City and Las Vegas, and the Nevada Threat Analysis Center. Edgell said the division handled 296 investigations in fiscal year 2024 and closed 202 of them.
Edgell and Director George Tagliatti described a growing need for dedicated digital forensics staff. Presenters said only two staff currently perform phone extractions (one in Carson City and one in Las Vegas), creating a backlog. Edgell later confirmed the backlog includes about 50 devices waiting to be processed and that the division has 37 cold cases from about 1977 through 2003 to which digital forensics might apply.
The division requested a digital investigative unit consisting of non‑sworn digital forensic technicians plus a sworn officer to handle child sexual exploitation evidence and to preserve chain‑of‑custody procedures. In background materials, lawmakers were told the request includes six new positions and one transfer; Edgell explained the non‑sworn technicians would perform daily extractions, which would free sworn investigators to focus on current investigations and cold cases.
Edgell said turnaround times vary by device and model; he could not provide a precise average because device complexity differs, but said adding the requested positions would substantially improve throughput because currently only two personnel are responsible for all incoming devices.
Separately, the division asked for positions to staff an illicit cannabis unit. Edgell said the 82nd Legislature enacted changes (cited in the presentation as Senate Bill 328 and a provision listed as NRS 678A.044) that assigned responsibility to the division to enforce illicit cannabis activity when requested by the Cannabis Compliance Board. He said no dedicated funding accompanied that statutory change, so the division has not been able to be proactive; the requested five‑person unit (one sergeant and four officers in the requested budget) would create an initial statewide task force focused on mid‑ to high‑level illicit production and distribution.
Lawmakers asked how success would be measured; Edgell said performance measures would align with existing task‑force metrics such as the dismantling of drug trafficking organizations and arrests related to large‑scale illegal grows and sales. He emphasized the unit would focus on trafficking and large illegal operations rather than individual users.
Committee members requested additional data on device backlogs, historical caseloads and trends to refine staffing decisions; Edgell agreed to provide multi‑year device and caseload statistics for staff review.
