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NDOC tells Board of Examiners overtime remains high; medical transports and synthetic drugs cited
Summary
Nevada Department of Corrections Director James Renda told the Board of Examiners that overtime has risen substantially, driven mainly by hospital trips and overdoses tied to synthetic drugs; NDOC outlined procurement of detection technology, increased Narcan supplies and authorized positions (onboarded after Oct. 1) as mitigation.
The Nevada Department of Corrections told the Board of Examiners on Sept. 9 that overtime costs remain elevated and are likely to continue in the near term unless operational changes take effect.
Director James Renda said the department has seen persistent overtime driven largely by the need to staff hospital and emergency transports for incarcerated people and by a rise in overdoses tied to synthetic drugs. "On 2023, the average was 42 officers every single day on overtime ... 2024, there was an average of 68 officers ... the average was 74 officers every single day on overtime," Renda said, summarizing year-over-year increases observed in specific pay periods.
Renda described several contributing factors: insufficient on-site physicians to resolve specialty medical cases, staff reluctance to make certain clinical decisions because of licensing liabilities, and synthetic drugs that are difficult to detect when concealed in paper or ink. He said NDOC is procuring technology designed to detect such synthetic drugs and has ordered additional Narcan after multiple overdose incidents. Renda added the department is coordinating with Health and Human Services on substance-use disorder efforts aimed at prevention.
On staffing, Renda said legislatively approved positions that were funded in the current budget will begin arriving Oct. 1; those hires will require posting, internal selection, training and then external recruitment to refill vacated roles. "Even those positions, you probably won't see a start in reduction of overtime for at least 6 to 8 months," he said.
Board members pressed for a higher-level assessment of which programs are working and which are not. The chair asked NDOC to focus on proactive identification of solutions and to provide follow-up; staff committed to provide written detail and to work with the Governor’s Finance Office to reconcile numbers and return with matched data.
Significance: High overtime levels pose budgetary pressure for the department and operational strain for correctional facilities. NDOC described technology purchases and partnerships intended to reduce drug entry and overdose incidents, but said measurable overtime reductions will lag behind hiring and training timelines.
Next steps: NDOC will continue tracking overtime and provide follow-up materials to the board. The department’s additional positions are scheduled to begin coming on board Oct. 1, with operational effects expected months later.
