Las Vegas City Marshals
The Las Vegas City Marshals is a security police agency of the city of Las Vegas, Nevada. The LVCM is responsible for providing law enforcement and security services to buildings, parks, trails, and other lands and properties owned, leased, or controlled by the Las Vegas municipal government. The agency is part of the city of Las Vegas Department of Public Safety.
The LVCM consisted of 53 deputy city marshals as of 2017.
Since, the agency is subject to multiple pending lawsuits, though the city has disputed each of the allegations.
Overview
Sworn LVCM personnel are state-certified law enforcement officers that work for the city of Las Vegas and protect city property, parks, trails, and facilities. This is done in conjunction with the other law enforcement agencies in Las Vegas and Clark County, namely the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, for whom the LVCM patrols parks.The LVDPS also manages the LVDPS Corrections Division and the LVDPS Animal Protection Services, though these are not connected to the LVCM and its duties. The LVCM is also separate from and not affiliated with the Marshal Division of the Las Vegas Justice Court, which provides security policing services to city courthouses.
Structure and classification
Sworn LVCM personnel are classified as "category I" peace officers by the state of Nevada.| Marshal of the city of Las Vegas | |
| Deputy city marshal lieutenant | |
| Deputy city marshal sergeant | |
| Deputy city marshal | No insignia |
Equipment
Deputy City Marshals wear dark blue uniforms, though their police motorcycle units wear bright blue uniform tops. Deputy City Marshals are armed with a pistol alongside other standard police equipment, such as a taser and a baton.The LVCM formerly used the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, but after its discontinuation, they were retired in favor of newer Ford Police Interceptor Sedan and Ford Police Interceptor Utility cruisers. The LVCM also uses a fleet of dirtbikes.
Legal issues and controversies
Lawsuits
On March 27, 2025, Derek Myers brought a lawsuit against the LVCM, claiming the agency engages in a "systemic pattern of unconstitutional and unlawful conduct" by conducting arrests outside their alleged legal jurisdiction. Myers alleges that the LVCM is operating as a "rogue lawenforcement agency". The lawsuit stems from an incident on January 9, 2025 where Myers was pulled-over by city marshals for alleged traffic violations. The lawsuit further alleges the marshals conducted an unlawful search of Myers and his vehicle, and performed a faulty DUI test. Myers additionally claims that he was not provided with a Miranda warning. The suit eventually evolved into a class-action case, representing multiple claimants, all asserting that the LVCM performed law enforcement actions outside of their primary jurisdiction, among other claims.
On April 25, 2025, the ACLU filed a separate lawsuit against the City of Las Vegas on behalf of a man who alleges he was subject to unlawful detainment and physical assault. The lawsuit claims that the man's civil and constitutional rights were violated during a traffic stop in April 2023. In response, the city reported it "takes all allegations of civil rights violations seriously" and would respond in court.
Jurisdiction dispute
Previous court documents from the department describe the agency as having a "limited" jurisdiction, with one document attesting to "patrolling city-owned property, including parks". In another previous court filing, the LVDPS director stated that LVCM "jurisdiction is limited geographically and in scope".Following multiple investigatory reports by local news organizations and multiple lawsuits being filed against the agency, the LVCM website was updated to read:
The city website further refers to marshals as being classified as "category I peace officers" by the state of Nevada. The city asserts this provides sworn LVCM personnel with "full arrest powers and the authority to conduct traffic stops for observed violations".
The city has further contested the jurisdiction and authority arguments in court. The city has also asserted that LVCM personnel have jurisdiction outside city property and that they had the authority to conduct traffic stops and make arrests outside of their standard jurisdiction. A spokesperson for the city has further opined that Nevada "category I peace officers" — such as sworn LVCM personnel — are not limited by geographical jurisdiction.