Metro Holds ‘Community Conversation’

By LAURA ROBISON

The Progress

Metro invited all Moapa Valley residents to a “Community Conversation” on Wednesday, July 20 at the Overton Community Center. The evening was hosted by local Metro Sergeant Keegan Doty.
Local law enforcement officials from various agencies were on hand to answer questions from community residents. Included in the conversation were representatives from Nevada Highway Patrol (NHP), Nevada State Police, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Community Oriented Policing (COP).

Doty said that the purpose was to bridge the gap between residents and law enforcement and to clarify some of the laws concerning the rural areas.
“We live here and work here, and there is no way as a supervisor to measure effective policing,” Doty said. “We are here to protect and serve this community and if we have dropped the ball in any area, we need to know.”

Pizza, drinks and a free gun lock for every gun owner were provided to those who attended.
Although any subject was open to discussion, most of the conversation was regarding Off Highway Vehicle (OHV) use on local roads.

“This is an OHV friendly valley and we want to keep it that way,” Doty began. “But there is a lot of misinformation out there. And the County codes and (Nevada Revised Statutes) can be confusing and inconsistent.”

Lois Hall of Cal’s Repair related that she has an employee who rides his side-by-side to work, but he has been pulled over for doing so. She inquired why this takes place if he is riding along the shoulder of the road.

NHP Trooper Nelson responded that it is a violation for an OHV to be be used on anything other than recreation, such as a transportation vehicle to get to work.
“You can only be on the (state highway) to cross the street to access another trail,” Nelson added. “Riding on the State Highway, even the shoulder, is strictly prohibited.”

Nelson also stated that riders along Moapa Valley Blvd. will be pulled over, but that does not mean they will be ticketed.
“Our goal is education,” he stated.

An Overton resident asked how to avoid riding on the main road when it is nearly impossible to get to the Logandale Trails without doing so.
“If you are taking back roads and side streets, and are wearing a helmet, with a proper drivers license, you most likely won’t be bothered,” Nelson responded. “But when someone is underage and driving fast and reckless, that is where we have to get serious about safety and regulations.”

Overton resident Lori Houston pointed out the need for OHV education for out-of-towners. She also noted the need for more signage and perhaps even classes on where someone is allowed to ride.
“I wish there was a police presence on the trails to ticket people who litter,” added her husband Rick Houston.

Doty replied that he had written a grant to fund some overtime for his officers to patrol the trails. Although they cannot be there all the time, officers would be involved on busy holiday weekends, Doty said.

Local resident Bill Scatterday wanted to see OHVs issued a license plate. Currently OHV’s are registered and the owner receives a decal to affix to their vehicle.
“Out-of-state people have plates on their OHVs so they think they can ride on the road here,” he said. “Since there are a lot of complaints about riders kicking up dust, that would go away if the OHVs are allowed on the roads.”

Trooper Nelson replied that there are no street legal OHVs in Nevada. The only way to change that is to go to the legislature.

“I don’t know what is right or wrong,” said resident Ed Kendrick. “There are different maps by different agencies, and depending on who pulls you over or who you ask, I receive multiple answers to the same questions. It is frustrating and confusing.”

Kendrick observed that people don’t generally want to break the law. “But when we don’t know what the law is how can we do the right thing?” he asked.
Doty responded that the different departments are working together to try to clarify things within the County.

With school starting in a few weeks, one resident wanted to know what is being done about the safety for local kids. Doty said that he is working closely with Moapa Valley Fire District Chief Stephen Neel and other first responders, receiving extra training. They are ready to respond to an active shooter situation, he said. This is a multi-agency effort.

Doty also noted that the residents need to start calling 9-1-1 when they observe law enforcement problems. Quicker response times will occur if situations are properly reported instead of people calling their favorite officers or posting on Facebook, he said.

“Make it official by calling it in, the right entity can then be dispatched to the scene when time is of the essence,” Doty said. “And when crimes are reported, we have access to more resources.”

In regards to BLM, Officer Black said that main public lands concerns are littering, intoxication, graffiti and vandalism.
But he also said, “We are not here to harass you, we want to emphasize safety and protection of the land.”

Houston urged Black that the BLM needed to be more engaged with community members. “We have no local voice out here,” she said. “Include us and ask for our help. We are a part of this community and we can organize cleanup days and so much more.”

As the meeting concluded, Doty said he was pleased with the turnout of about 30 people. He said it was a great start to open the lines of communication. “I thank all those who came,” he said. “We are available to hear from the public and will strive to educate when we can.”
Similar meetings are planned to be held either quarterly or bi-annually.

To file a report or ask a question, the Overton Substation is open Monday-Thursday 7am to 5pm. The substation is located just behind the Overton Community Center at 320 N. Moapa Valley Blvd.