Law Enforcement/Investigative Division
The Law Enforcement / Investigative Division is comprised of the following areas and sections:
- Patrol Operations
- Northeast Region
- East Central Region
- Southeast Region
- Grave Shift
- Evidence Section
- Investigations Section
- Fleet Management Section
The Law Enforcement/Investigative Division Commander is Captain James Ketsaa. Captain Ketsaa oversees and administers the operations of the following areas and sections which comprise the Investigative Division. Lieutenant Anthony York is the Investigative Bureau Commander who, in conjunction with Capt. Ketsaa, is responsible for the management and direction of daily operations within the division.
Investigative Sergeant
Sergeant
Philip Gelber supervises the Investigations Section. Sgt. Gelber
supervises crimes against persons/property, gangs and narcotics. Sgt.
Gelber’s law enforcement career began in 1982 with Clark County
School District Police Department. Sgt. Gelber started as a campus
patrol officer and then worked as a transportation liaison officer. Sgt.
Gelber then moved into patrol and was then promoted to Sergeant in 1997. Sgt.
Gelber has also supervised the Internal Affairs Unit for the CCSDPD.
Patrol Operations
Northeast Region
Sergeant Dennis West currently supervises the Edward Zone. Sergeant
West began his career in law enforcement in the California Bay Area
in 1975 where he graduated from the San Mateo County Sheriff’s
Dept. Police Academy and received his Basic POST certification. Sergeant
West continued his career in Iowa with the Centerville Police Department
where he was assigned to patrol, Motorcycle patrol, and as Detective.
In 1982 he took a position with the Wyoming Highway Patrol where he
worked as a patrol officer, and Commercial Vehicle Officer. He was one
of the top DUI enforcement officer’s on the patrol for 5 straight
years. During this time he received his Intermediate, Advanced, and
Professional POST certification. In 1987 he transferred to the Carbon
County Sheriff’s Department as a Deputy Sheriff. He was assigned
to patrol and conducted criminal investigations, traffic enforcement
and accident investigations. He also assisted in maintaining the department
evidence vault and the processing of evidence. In 1990 he moved to Las
Vegas where he worked with the Department of Defense as a Police Officer
at Indian Springs.
In 1992 he began his career with the Clark County School District Police Department.
Sergeant West began on the campus and after a few months transferred to patrol.
He has served as a department trainer and as an instructor for Accident Investigation,
DUI, SFST, and EVOC. Sergeant West was instrumental in adopting a fellow officer’s
idea of electronic forms and worked on perfecting most all department forms as
electronic forms. He was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in April 1997. As a
Sergeant, he supervised the swing and grave patrol shifts, worked as an Area
and Regional Sergeant. He also worked in Investigations for property crimes.
Sergeant West is assigned as a department Crime Scene Tech and is available on
call to assist in the processing of a verity of crime scenes. Sergeant West is
currently working towards a certification as a Fire Investigator for the department.
While assigned to the CCSDPD he has been issued the following: Nevada Commission
on Peace Officers’ Standards and Training (POST) Certifications: Basic
(Category I Law Enforcement), Intermediate, and Advanced, SFST, and EVOC Instructor.
Sgt.
Jaime Sanchez has been with the CCSDPD for 25 years and currently supervises
the Frank Zone. Sgt. Sanchez started with the CCSD as a campus
monitor and then applied to be a CCSDPD Officer. After being accepted,
he was sent to the NV POST Academy and then assigned as a campus police
officer. Some years later, Sgt. Sanchez was promoted to Sergeant.
Sgt. Sanchez helped start the Gang Advisory Team for the CCSDPD. He
was placed in charge of the Gang Advisory Team from 1989 to 2006. Sgt.
Sanchez had the honor of representing the CCSDPD, as a guest speaker,
at several National gang conferences. Sgt. Sanchez is a department
Instructor and Range Master. Sgt. Sanchez bi-lingual and is actively
involved in the community outside of the Department. Sgt. Sanchez
currently the supervisor for the Edward Zone and services several schools
in that area. He has ten officers under his command.
East Central Region
The George Zone is under the supervision of Sergeant Roberta Hodgkinson
who has been with the Clark County School District Police Department
since 1991. There are currently 9 police officers assigned to her squad. Sgt.
Hodgkinson is originally from Michigan. She graduated from Michigan
State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice.
Sgt. Hodgkinson moved from Michigan to Las Vegas and joined the CCSDPD
in February of 1991. She was a campus officer at Jim Bridger Middle
School and Western High School as well as a patrol officer. She
also was a member of the gang unit. For four years Sgt. Hodgkinson
was in the Bureau of Professional Standards and was instrumental in
bringing structure to the Internal Affairs process. Sgt. Hodgkinson
was promoted in October of 2005 and was responsible for the graveyard,
and eventually swing shift. Currently Sgt. Hodgkinson in assigned to
the East Area Command and has nine officers assigned to her squad.
A/Sgt.
Darnell Couthen has been a resident in Las Vegas since 1992 and he is
proud to call it home. He began his career with the Clark County
School District Police Department in August 1997, following ten years
of service in the United States Air Force. A/Sgt. Couthen has
worked his way through the ranks as a Campus Officer, Patrol Officer,
Field Training Officer, Department Instructor, Public Information Officer,
Crime Prevention Officer and a Detective in the Bureau of Professional
Standards. A/Sgt. Couthen has obtained his basic, Intermediate
and Advanced P.O.S.T. Certifications. He has also received specialized
training in Media Relations, Disaster Preparedness, Advance School Resource
Officer, Internal Affairs, and Accreditation Manager; he is currently
a certified Master Public Information Officer. A/Sgt. Couthen’s
past and present affiliations include; N.A.S.R.O., OJJDP, B.E.S.T. Coalition,
Z Squared, McGruff Truck, Trial By Peers, Southern Nevada Youth Fire
Setters, Southern Nevada Injured Police Officers Fund, to name a few. As
a member of the B.E.S.T. Coalition he was named the 2005 Law Enforcement
Best of the Best for his efforts in Juvenile Drug Prevention. A/Sgt.
Couthen was instrumental in helping the CCSDPD become the first school-based
law enforcement agency to attain the prestigious ISO 9001:2000 Certification. A/Sgt.
Couthen is currently serving as the Law Enforcement/Investigative Division
Henry Zone Supervisor.
Southeast Region
Sergeant
Rebecca Schell has been employed with the CCSDPD 1990. Sgt. Schell was
promoted to Sergeant April 1997 and was assigned to swing shift for
4 years. Following her assignment on swing shift, she was assigned
to day shift patrol sergeant for 1 year and then placed in the Training
Section as the Training Section Sergeant from February 2002 to September
2005. She is now assigned as patrol supervisor over the Ida Zone
supervising 12 officers. Sgt. Schell is a POST Certified Instructor
for E.V.O.C., Expandable Straight Baton, and Defensive Tactics. She
has assisted with departmental and academy training and is also an FTO.Sgt.
Schell was born and raised in Utah and prior to moving to Nevada, was
a Correctional Supervisor at the Utah State Department of Corrections
from May 1988 to June 1989.
Sergeant
Phil Gervasi has been with the Clark County School District Police Department
since 1992. He is currently assigned as the John Zone Supervisor.
Grave Shift
The
Grave Shift is currently supervised by Acting Sergeant David Platt. A/Sergeant
Platt is a life long Las Vegas resident. A/Sergeant Platt has
been with the Clark County School District Police Department for eleven
years starting his career in March 1997. A/Sergeant Platt has
served as a Campus Officer as well as Patrol Officer. During this
time, A/Sergeant Platt was a Field Training Officer, and worked as one
of the Departments Crime Scene Technician's. A/Sergeant Platt
has his Intermediate and Advanced POST Certificates.
The Evidence Section is responsible for properly receiving, documenting, safeguarding, preparing for release, releasing and destroying items booked into the custody of the CCSD Police Department. Releasing or shipping items to other law enforcement agencies for release to owners and submission of items and information for court proceedings are additional responsibilities. The Evidence Section is also required to safeguard non-evidence, such as found items, for times specified by law. The Investigations Section conducts criminal investigations on all types of crimes within the Clark Count School District. This section also handles warrant and summons requests and works as an investigative liaison with other agencies. The Gang Unit also operates under the Investigations Section and is instrumental in gathering intelligence on numerous gangs in Clark County. The Crime Scene Unit is another part of the Investigations Section. The Crime Scene Unit is responsible for the forensic processing of crime scenes and gathering of evidence.
The Department Vehicle Fleet also falls under the direction of the Investigative Bureau. There are approximately 70 vehicles in service for the Department, 35 are fully marked vehicles.
