Las Vegas casinos are seeing a shortage of armed security guards

The importance of casino safety and a quick response was illustrated in early August when a man who stabbed two Red Rock Resort employees with a knife was apprehended after a confrontation in the casino.

Shayne Sussman, 25, was shot in the abdomen by a security guard on Aug. 3 and eventually charged with attempted murder and battery with use of a deadly weapon after a drunken rampage.

Officials at the resort said the security guard’s quick action prevented the incident from being worse.

Many Las Vegas resorts, though, have been feeling the pinch of a shortage of armed security guards in recent months because of a sudden change in federal regulations, officials said. An estimate on the security guard shortfall wasn’t immediately released by officials.

Resort companies began feeling the pinch of the shortage in the spring when federal authorities blocked the background check system that had been used for years. The Nevada Gaming Control Board’s Enforcement Division was able to conduct its own background checks by accessing the Criminal Justice Information System. But earlier this year, federal authorities said the system could no longer be used for outside background checks.

But Nevada regulators believe they’ve worked around a federal restriction that is preventing casino resorts from hiring and retaining armed security guards quickly.

A regulatory amendment expected to be considered by the Nevada Gaming Commission in October enables applicants for casino security guard positions temporary registration for licensing following a background check by a resort’s local sheriff’s department instead of the Control Board.

Employees are required to be registered with the state to possess concealed carry firearm permits in their jobs.

Policy change

“We were notified by the Nevada Department of Public Safety that Nevada criminal justice information terminals, NCJIS terminals, are not to be used for purposes beyond their intended scope, which includes non-criminal justice employment,” Kristi Torgerson, chief of the Control Board’s Enforcement Division, told the board in a May meeting.

The system is a federal database used by the FBI for criminal background checks.

No reason was given for the policy change, which was made after a federal audit of procedures.

But the new prohibition resulted in delays of up to six months for a new hire to be able to carry a firearm on the job. Because public safety for the millions of visitors to Southern Nevada as well as the thousands of resort employees is a high priority for regulators as well as the industry, the Control Board wanted to move quickly to come up with a solution to a problem Control Board Chairman Kirk Hendrick said was through no fault of any local parties.

“I think you all know that tourism safety is our top priority,”Hendrick said. “People don’t want to go places where they don’t feel safe and secure. Armed security, along with our partners at Metro, they are a serious deterrent to crime on the Strip and maintaining that safety.”

Hendrick noted that many casino security guards formerly worked in law enforcement or in security positions in the military.

Need for security response

Nevada Resorts Association President and CEO Virginia Valentine and casino security executives from MGM Resorts International, Caesars Entertainment, Station Casinos and the South Point told board members they backed the new plan to smooth the application process.

The new language in the proposed amendment to the regulation enables a prospective licensee to file for a concealed weapon permit and get a receipt showing the application is in progress. Once the board receives that receipt, the applicant is authorized to carry a weapon while the application is pending. The process must be completed within six months, but an applicant can go right to work while the process is underway.

The regulation already provided that an active duty law enforcement officer changing jobs can carry a weapon as well as a retired law enforcement officer holding a current Law Enforcement Safety Act card. The same procedure applies to officers renewing their certifications.

Efforts applauded

“This allows the resorts to maintain staffing levels for new hires and renewing registrations,” Valentine told board members. “The security of our team members and guests is of paramount importance. We had a recent example where an armed security guard made a big difference at a resort.”

Ray Steiber, executive director of special operations and corporate security for MGM Resorts International, which has the largest security force with 14 gaming and non-gaming resorts on the Strip, said safety is key to retaining visitors.

“As a major resort hotel operator for Las Vegas Boulevard, MGM Resorts International views public safety at our properties and within the resort corridor as the highest priority,” he said. “Safety is critically important for the 50,000 Southern Nevada-based team members who work at our resorts as well as the millions of tourists who our industry and community welcome every year. MGM Resort supports the proposed armed security registration regulations before you today which will enable us to more appropriately equip our security office.”