By Joanna Putman
Police1
LAS VEGAS— The Las Vegas Police Protective Association is recognizing several officers for reporting a commanding officer, leading to an internal investigation, criminal charges and a grand jury indictment, KLAS reported.
“What courage it took for our officers to say, ‘I need, to not just let the union know,’ but once we gave our opinion, it was, ‘Yeah, I’m ready. I want to talk to Internal Affairs…I don’t want to just sit on this,’” Union President Steve Grammas told KLAS.
Grammas commended the officers for stepping forward to report the sergeant’s alleged misconduct, which includes 13 charges related to unlawful detentions of individuals on the Las Vegas Strip, according to the report. The reported incidents were captured on bodycam footage, showing Menon allegedly orchestrating improper stops and pushing a fellow officer.
“These are young, impressionable officers,” he said. “These young men and women said, ‘Hey, I get it. He’s our sergeant. He’s leading us a certain way, but, gosh, something just doesn’t pass the sniff test and so who do we turn to?’ And they turn to us, thankfully.”
The union team immediately reached out to Metro leadership, who Grammas believed were not aware of the sergeant’s actions.
The sergeant, initially arrested on Aug. 30, faces charges of oppression under color of office, subornation of perjury and battery of a protected officer, according to the report. His bail was recently increased to $150,000 after additional charges of child pornography possession were added; he posted bail after each arrest and pleaded not guilty. He has been placed on unpaid leave pending further investigation, with his first trial set for March 31.
