U.S. Attorney’s Office Presents Hometown Hero Award to Metro Sheriff Kevin McMahill

LAS VEGAS, NV — The highest ranks of federal and regional law enforcement converged in Las Vegas to present a prestigious public service honor to the valley’s top law enforcement official.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Sigal Chattah, representing the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada, formally presented Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill with the highly coveted Hometown Hero Award. The federal honor explicitly recognizes McMahill’s 36-year trajectory in Southern Nevada law enforcement, rising from a 1990 patrol officer to his 2022 election as Sheriff.

A Career Built on Innovation and Service

Sheriff McMahill began his law enforcement career after serving in the United States Army, joining the LVMPD as a patrol officer in 1990. Through a sustained commitment to community safety, he rose through every rank of the department—including sergeant, lieutenant, captain, deputy chief, assistant sheriff, and undersheriff—before being chosen by voters to lead the agency in 2022.

Federal prosecutors highlighted his department’s data-driven, localized policing grids that have yielded measurable, historic reductions in violent crime across the valley floor over the past year.

Advancing Public Safety and Officer Wellness

Beyond traditional crime-reduction metrics, the federal award recognized McMahill’s pioneering efforts in integrating technology and mental health services into modern policing infrastructure. Under his guidance, the LVMPD spearheaded the development of one of the most advanced “Drone as First Responder” programs in the world, leveraging aerial technology to dramatically enhance response times and improve situational awareness for field forces.

Furthermore, McMahill established the groundbreaking LVMPD Wellness Bureau, demonstrating a deep commitment to officer mental health and resiliency by fostering a supportive internal culture that has significantly reduced officer suicides. A graduate of the FBI’s Leadership in Counter-Terrorism Program and the Harvard Kennedy School’s Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program, McMahill’s leadership continues to position the LVMPD as a blueprint for modern metropolitan law enforcement agencies nationwide.

Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada Public Affairs Release, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Command Records.