Las Vegas Weekly

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Communication breakdown

After two years of what one patrol officer called “a joke,” the Clark County Sheriff’s office is dropping the $42 million Desert Sky radio system. Sheriff Doug Gillespie termed it “just not a reliable system,” due to its dropped calls and dead zones. In an era of red-tape bureaucracy, it’s refreshing to see a department listen to its employees and respond accordingly. Yes, extra budget dollars will be spent, but the action will likely save officers’ lives down the road. Well done.

Doctors, please

According to a report issued by UNLV and Nevada State Health Division, Nevadans are more likely to contract and die of cancer than residents of California, Utah and Arizona. Also, apparently our lack of screening and specialized expertise forces nearly 10 percent of cancer patients to get diagnosed and treated out of state. With due respect to education and jobs, Nevada needs to start making quality health care a priority.

Runway robbery

According to ABC News, Transportation Security Administration officers at McCarran have somewhat sticky fingers—15 were fired between 2002 and 2011 for theft, fifth most in the country behind Miami, New York’s JFK, LA and Atlanta. ABC also set up a sting operation, leaving 10 iPads at airports across the country (nine were returned, one was not, and the responsible agent in Orlando was fired). It’s common sense to keep an eye on your bags; perhaps it’s time to keep an eye on the TSA, too.