John McCarthy lasted just one term as Clark County sheriff, but he will forever be remembered for pursuing organized crime with unprecedented gusto.
McCarthy died Monday in Texas after suffering from heart and lung disease, it was confirmed through a law enforcement website and his former undersheriff. The death was first reported locally by the Las Vegas Tribune weekly. McCarthy was 82.
“He was a wonderful man,” McCarthy’s former Undersheriff Don Denison said. “He was one of the best friends I’ve ever had, if not the best friend.”
McCarthy rose to office with an upset over longtime Sheriff Ralph Lamb, whose incumbency was fractured by a tax evasion charge and a department corruption scandal. Lamb was acquitted, but the fallout enabled McCarthy to emerge the winner.
Once in office, McCarthy shook up the department, put Kent Clifford in charge of the mob-fighting Intelligence section and developed a close working relationship with the Las Vegas office of the FBI. Together, officers and agents pursued reputed Chicago Outfit enforcer Tony Spilotro and his street crew.
“He gave Clifford free rein and said, ‘Go, get ’em,’ ” Denison recalled. “It was the end of Spilotro and his group and what have you, and overall it worked out well.”
McCarthy, considered ethical but inflexible politically, lost to John Moran in 1983. Moran served three terms.
MOVING DAY: That groan you hear is coming from some veteran detectives complaining as they move from Metro’s mother ship to area substations as part of Sheriff Joe Lombardo’s plan to decentralize the department.
Lombardo, who during the 2014 campaign advocated spreading out his troops, has been working with top staff to make the most of Metro’s personnel. That includes sending general assignment detectives closer to the field.
The moves have some veteran detectives venting and wondering whether the exercise will improve efficiency.
“It’s not as overwhelming as it sounds,” Lombardo said during a Thursday Review-Journal editorial board meeting. “It’s actually a small portion of the totality of the police department.”
The plan is to move approximately 160 officers from Metro’s headquarters at 400 S. Martin Luther King Blvd. to substations across the valley.
Lombardo kept the complaints in perspective by recalling a police adage about the temperament of officers: “Cops hate the system they work in, but God help you if you try to change it. … There’s concern. There’s change. I don’t care what organization you operate in, change is difficult.”
CONCEAL-CARRY: Conservative legislators in Carson City are pushing a plan to give out-of-staters with concealed-weapons permits “blanket reciprocity” when they visit Nevada. Lombardo doesn’t like the idea.
Although he was quick to note he is a Second Amendment advocate, the sheriff said some other states aren’t as demanding when it comes to approving concealed-weapons permits.
MARCY’S MAGIC: Family and friends will gather this morning at Christ the King Catholic Church to honor and celebrate the life of Marcy (Romeo) Humm, who died Saturday after a long cancer fight.
She was a great sister, wife, mother and grandmother, but what truly set her apart was her dedication to the establishment of the Rape Crisis Center in Southern Nevada. She was a member of the local charity’s board of directors and raised funds and awareness for more than 14 years.
The whole community can be thankful for her devotion. To honor her giving spirit, the family has asked that donations be made to the Rape Crisis Center and Nathan Adelson Hospice.
DURABLE DANE: Embattled conservative activist Tony Dane confirms his autodialing equipment recently was removed by Metro detectives, but it’s also clear that he’s back in the business of political robo-calling.
Dane, part of a group seeking the ouster of Assembly Speaker John Hambrick, is under investigation after being accused by freshman Assemblyman Chris Edwards of attempting to extort his vote for the leadership position.
ON THE BOULEVARD: Robert Durst was finally formally charged Monday in the Dec. 23, 2000, murder of writer and former Las Vegan Susan Berman. The development in the case surely came as good news to former Las Vegas author Cathy Scott, who devoted hundreds of hours researching and writing her book “Murder in Beverly Hills: The Mob-Style Execution of Susan Berman.” … Prolific travel and gambling writer and editor Deke Castleman is out with an updated and expanded edition of “Whale Hunt in the Desert: Secrets of a Vegas Superhost.” It’s the continuing saga of high-roller specialist Steve Cyr.
BOULEVARD II: Leave it to hall-of-fame casino man Michael Gaughan and all-star oddsmaker Michael “Roxy” Roxborough to come through with generous donations to the St. Baldrick’s childhood cancer research foundation. They know a good bet when they see one.
McCarthy died Monday in Texas after suffering from heart and lung disease, it was confirmed through a law enforcement website and his former undersheriff. The death was first reported locally by the Las Vegas Tribune weekly. McCarthy was 82.
“He was a wonderful man,” McCarthy’s former Undersheriff Don Denison said. “He was one of the best friends I’ve ever had, if not the best friend.”
McCarthy rose to office with an upset over longtime Sheriff Ralph Lamb, whose incumbency was fractured by a tax evasion charge and a department corruption scandal. Lamb was acquitted, but the fallout enabled McCarthy to emerge the winner.
Once in office, McCarthy shook up the department, put Kent Clifford in charge of the mob-fighting Intelligence section and developed a close working relationship with the Las Vegas office of the FBI. Together, officers and agents pursued reputed Chicago Outfit enforcer Tony Spilotro and his street crew.
“He gave Clifford free rein and said, ‘Go, get ’em,’ ” Denison recalled. “It was the end of Spilotro and his group and what have you, and overall it worked out well.”
McCarthy, considered ethical but inflexible politically, lost to John Moran in 1983. Moran served three terms.
MOVING DAY: That groan you hear is coming from some veteran detectives complaining as they move from Metro’s mother ship to area substations as part of Sheriff Joe Lombardo’s plan to decentralize the department.
Lombardo, who during the 2014 campaign advocated spreading out his troops, has been working with top staff to make the most of Metro’s personnel. That includes sending general assignment detectives closer to the field.
The moves have some veteran detectives venting and wondering whether the exercise will improve efficiency.
“It’s not as overwhelming as it sounds,” Lombardo said during a Thursday Review-Journal editorial board meeting. “It’s actually a small portion of the totality of the police department.”
The plan is to move approximately 160 officers from Metro’s headquarters at 400 S. Martin Luther King Blvd. to substations across the valley.
Lombardo kept the complaints in perspective by recalling a police adage about the temperament of officers: “Cops hate the system they work in, but God help you if you try to change it. … There’s concern. There’s change. I don’t care what organization you operate in, change is difficult.”
CONCEAL-CARRY: Conservative legislators in Carson City are pushing a plan to give out-of-staters with concealed-weapons permits “blanket reciprocity” when they visit Nevada. Lombardo doesn’t like the idea.
Although he was quick to note he is a Second Amendment advocate, the sheriff said some other states aren’t as demanding when it comes to approving concealed-weapons permits.
MARCY’S MAGIC: Family and friends will gather this morning at Christ the King Catholic Church to honor and celebrate the life of Marcy (Romeo) Humm, who died Saturday after a long cancer fight.
She was a great sister, wife, mother and grandmother, but what truly set her apart was her dedication to the establishment of the Rape Crisis Center in Southern Nevada. She was a member of the local charity’s board of directors and raised funds and awareness for more than 14 years.
The whole community can be thankful for her devotion. To honor her giving spirit, the family has asked that donations be made to the Rape Crisis Center and Nathan Adelson Hospice.
DURABLE DANE: Embattled conservative activist Tony Dane confirms his autodialing equipment recently was removed by Metro detectives, but it’s also clear that he’s back in the business of political robo-calling.
Dane, part of a group seeking the ouster of Assembly Speaker John Hambrick, is under investigation after being accused by freshman Assemblyman Chris Edwards of attempting to extort his vote for the leadership position.
ON THE BOULEVARD: Robert Durst was finally formally charged Monday in the Dec. 23, 2000, murder of writer and former Las Vegan Susan Berman. The development in the case surely came as good news to former Las Vegas author Cathy Scott, who devoted hundreds of hours researching and writing her book “Murder in Beverly Hills: The Mob-Style Execution of Susan Berman.” … Prolific travel and gambling writer and editor Deke Castleman is out with an updated and expanded edition of “Whale Hunt in the Desert: Secrets of a Vegas Superhost.” It’s the continuing saga of high-roller specialist Steve Cyr.
BOULEVARD II: Leave it to hall-of-fame casino man Michael Gaughan and all-star oddsmaker Michael “Roxy” Roxborough to come through with generous donations to the St. Baldrick’s childhood cancer research foundation. They know a good bet when they see one.