Nevada Highway Patrol Half-Staffed For Years

Our Nevada Highway Patrol has been half-staffed for many years according to a recent article posted by Ryan Matthey on 8NewsNow.com.

Per Matthey's article, Wayne Dice, a Southern Command representative for the Nevada Police Union says that many state troopers are leaving the Nevada Highway Patrol for better paying law enforcement opportunities with the Las Vegas Metro Police Department, the Clark County Sheriff's Department, and various other agencies. The starting pay for our state troopers is one of the lowest of any law enforcement agency in the Las Vegas Valley. Dice says the Nevada State Police train cadets and then they leave for these other departments and receive an immediate 30% pay increase.

And, to add the the staffing problems, there just aren't enough cadets coming out of the training academy to fully staff our Nevada Highway Patrol. They used to get twenty or more cadets coming out of the academy, but this year, they are down to nine remaining cadets with weeks of training still remaining. Only four of the nine are actually training to become state troopers.

It is a stress-filled six months of training to become certified as a Nevada Highway Patrol officer. After that, graduates go into field training, which is even more stressful out there on our roads, highways and freeways. Dice says they lose even more members during this field training process.

The fact that there are fewer Nevada Highway Patrol officers dealing with more and more vehicles on our roads has meant that they cannot be as proactive as they would like to be. The result? Matthey's article on 8NewsNow.com quotes Dice as saying: "The crashes are up, DUI crashes are up. It’s because we don’t have enough troopers to do proactive enforcement.”

Our roads are getting more and more dangerous, so be careful out there.

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Larry Martino is the long-time Afternoon Drive personality on 96.3 KKLZ. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of Larry Martino and not necessarily those of Beasley Media Group, LLC.

As if there weren't enough things to worry about. Your credit card information may be stolen by simply using it in local retail stores, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police warn.

Scammers have recently been targeting the Las Vegas area by using EMV (Smart Chip) "skimmers," according to metro police's Twitter.

These "skimmers" are sleek, discrete add-ons to credit card machines that can be easily overlooked. These small devices can collect information from thousands of cards and even steal PIN number information.

The police say when unsuspecting customers insert their cards in a machine, the skimmer will still processes the purchase while simultaneously collecting your card's data. The customer thinks they made an innocent purchase when in reality, scammers have just collected their credit card information.

Due to the discrete nature of "skimmers," these devices can stay in place for a long period of time, which makes this a big problem, police said on Twitter. "Skimmers" are commonly found in ATMs, gas station pumps and "unmonitored" pay stations.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, consumers often don't notice their information was stolen until the bank sends a statement or an overdraft notice.

To avoid being a victim to this scam, here are a few tips to spot these devices so you can protect your financial security.

Although "skimmers" are small, these devices are not impossible to find. Las Vegas Metro Police said on Twitter that compromised credit card machines with "skimmers" often stick out and are noticeably different than other PIN pads.

You can further check to see if there's a "skimming" device inserted in the machine by pulling on the PIN-pad hood. By pulling on the hood, the skimmer may come loose from the credit card terminal, police said.

https://www.fbi.gov/scams-and-safety/common-scams-and-crimes/skimming#:~:text=Tips%20When%20Using%20an%20ATM%20or%20POS%20Terminal&text=Look%20for%20anything%20loose%2C%20crooked,cameras%20from%20recording%20your%20entry.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation says consumers should inspect ATMs, point-of-sale (POS) terminals and other card readers before using them. If the machine appears to be crooked, damaged or scratched then you shouldn't use it.

Las Vegas Metro Police recommends that if you find a "skimming" device, do not tamper with it. Instead, alert a store employee and call "311."

And as always, it's important to contact your financial institution if your credit card information was stolen or comprised. Be vigilant, pay attention to your online banking app and be safe!