Lawmakers cut 6 new positions in Nevada Department of Public Safety budget request
Six new DPS positions requested in Gov. Joe Lombardo's budget were cut during a hearing before the Joint Subcommittee on Public Safety, Natural Resources, and Transportation.
Five more positions to create a new Illicit Cannabis Unit under DPS appear to be in jeopardy, too. Senators on the committee voted against adding one sergeant and four officers to staff a unit that would investigate illegal marijuana operations.
'The agency indicates while the Cannabis Compliance Board regulates the licensed cannabis industry, the illicit cannabis market has thrived, directly impacting Nevada by reducing tax revenue, creating environmental hazards and exposing youth to the effects of cannabis,' Tom Weber, a program analyst for the Legislative Counsel Bureau, told committee members.
But Democratic Sen. Angie Taylor explained why the subcommittee was going through the budget with a fine-toothed comb.
'Our budget situation in some cases is unknown and some cases is known. And that's not pretty,' Taylor said. 'So we're unable, unfortunately, to approve all the positions that I think we'd like to approve.'
The six positions removed from the budget request:
Three positions in the DPS Investigation Division. The subcommittee approved one new sergeant and two new program officers to help DPS better meet the demand for digital forensics and cold case investigations.
One IT professional. The subcommittee did approve a new IT manager position.
One DPS digital media specialist to improve social media presence and online activity. DPS currently only has one person in the Public Information Office.
One training officer. Instead, the subcommittee approved a program officer but delayed when that position would open up.
In March, DPS said it had 169 devices waiting to be analyzed, according to information discussed Wednesday. That backlog in digital forensics was among the reasons DPS requested new positions.
Democratic Assem. Howard Watts acknowledged the need to address the Investigation Division's needs.
'We definitely agree that we need to make some investments in this area, and help address some of the workload, but decided to remove one of the officer positions and two of those management analysts from the governor's recommendation,' Watts said.
8 News Now has reached out to the governor's office for comment, and this article will be updated if a statement is provided.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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