University police get ‘critical labor shortage’ designation

Nevada’s higher education regents on Thursday approved a “critical labor shortage” designation for University Police Services.

The Nevada System of Higher Education’s Board of Regents voted unanimously for the designation during a meeting at Great Basin College in Elko, which was also streamed live online.

Under state law, the action allows for certain positions to be designated for up to two years as experiencing a shortage. Officials say the designation will allow them to get trained personnel on the job faster and to rehire retirees without an impact to their retirement benefits.

The law enforcement agency has experienced “historic and unprecedented impacts” to recruiting and retaining police officers and dispatchers, said Adam Garcia, vice president of public safety services and director of University Police Services’ southern command.

He said factors affecting staffing include the COVID-19 pandemic, heightened law enforcement accountability and a “robust hiring environment.”

University Police Services is competing for candidates from the same pool as other agencies that have higher starting salaries and better benefits, according to board meeting materials posted online.

The agency has an approximately 35 percent vacancy rate. There were 38 open positions for sworn law enforcement and dispatch as of mid-August — 32 in the southern command that covers the Las Vegas area and six in the northern command.

While the state law’s verbiage is a “critical labor shortage,” Garcia told regents he wanted to be clear that University Police Services isn’t at a critical juncture, “but we don’t want to get there.”

Due to the number of vacancies, it means the department can’t do things like walking patrols, employee and student outreach, and traffic enforcement, Garcia said.

All eight college and university presidents have expressed support for the critical labor shortage designation, he said.

University Police Services isn’t unique in experiencing staffing issues, Garcia said, noting that law enforcement agencies across the country are allowing retired officers to return to help fill vacancies.

And the labor shortage isn’t unique to law enforcement, he said. “Wherever we go, there’s a shortage of employees.”

Regent John Moran told Garcia he appreciates everything he’s doing.

Regent Patrick Boylan said he believes the higher education system should think about funding undercover police positions on campuses to help avoid issues before they occur.

Contact Julie Wootton-Greener at jgreener@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2921. Follow @julieswootton on Twitter.