Las Vegas police announce layoffs in wake of coronavirus struggles

The Metropolitan Police Department announced Friday that it laid off more than 100 part-time employees, a move made necessary by “sharp declines in revenue” stemming from the coronavirus pandemic.

Metro said 112 part-time positions were eliminated. The department said 103 of those positions, all of them part-time, were occupied by employees when they were cut.

Lab assistants, investigative aides, sewing workers and animal services workers are among the positions affected, Metro said Friday night. No officers were included in the layoffs.

Reached by phone, officials with the Las Vegas Police Protective Association said none of the part-time employees who were laid off was covered in the union’s collective bargaining agreement with Metro.

“Southern Nevada is experiencing unprecedented economic impacts as a result of the coronavirus mitigation efforts,” Metro said in a statement. “These impacts will result in sharp declines in revenue to state and local government, which in turn will force many difficult decisions in the upcoming months. The first of these difficult decisions were for the LVMPD to eliminate a total of 112 part-time positions, 103 of which are filled.”

Bureau commanders were given the names of affected employees and had until close of business on Wednesday to contact the employees and make notifications in person, the release said.

Contact Dalton LaFerney at dlaferney@reviewjournal.com or at 702-383-0288. Follow @daltonlaferney on Twitter.