Michelle Tavarez is a Captain with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, where she has served for over 22 years. Michelle is currently the commander of the Safe Neighborhoods Bureau where her responsibilities include overseeing the Gang Unit; Gang Investigations Team, Gang Enforcement Team, Juvenile Task Force and the Clark County Gang Task Force. The Narcotics Unit; Southern Nevada Drug Task Force (focusing on transnational drug trafficking), the Overdose Response Team, and the Narcotics Street Teams. The Vice Section; Vice Investigations Team, Vice Enforcement Team, and Southern Nevada Human Trafficking Task Force. The Gun Crime Intelligence Center; an LVMPD-led task force designed to use local and federal law enforcement to proactively reduce gun violence levering technology and traditional investigative techniques. The Violent Crime Reduction Team; an investigative unit that is responsible for crimes in which a firearm is used, focusing on crimes of violence and utilizing informants, surveillance, and overt/covert methods. Prior to her work in the Safe Neighborhoods Bureau Michelle oversaw Major Violators/Narcotics. Here she led Major Violators through the investigation and apprehension of the most violent offenders in Las Vegas, as well as the above-mentioned narcotics teams. Upon her initial promotion to Captain Michelle was the commander of Spring Valley Area Command, where she had roughly 200 officers and civilian staff under her direction. Spring Valley spans a total of 46 square miles, encompasses 170,000 residents and includes the tourist corridor on Spring Mountain commonly referred to as Chinatown. Prior to her promotion to Captain, Michelle was the Administrative Lieutenant in LVMPD's newest station, Summerlin Area Command. Michelle had the honor of being a founding member of the leadership team responsible for opening Summerlin Area Command. As the day shift Lieutenant, she oversaw the shift through a difficult year of civil unrest, COVID-19, and an unprecedented economic downturn. Prior to the opening of Summerlin Area Command, Michelle was assigned as the day shift Lieutenant in LVMPD's Southeast Area Command. Prior to her promotion to Lieutenant, Michelle was a Training and Counseling Sergeant in LVMPD's police academy. At this time, LVMPD was experiencing their largest hiring push the agency had seen in a decade. The pace at which the academies operated was astounding, ultimately hiring over 600 officers in roughly one and a half years. Preceding her time at the Academy, Michelle revitalized the recruiting section. She was brought in as the first recruiting Sergeant the agency had since the economic downturn experienced in 2008. Michelle was responsible for rebuilding the section and jump starting the hiring initiative previously mentioned. Michelle also served as a Crisis Negotiator for six and a half years with LVMPD's Crisis Negotiation Team. She has responded to over 150 dynamic incidents of suicidal subjects, barricaded individuals, and hostage takers all around southern Nevada. She assisted in the negotiation of a barricaded subject on a transit bus which shut down the iconic Las Vegas strip for several hours. Michelle acted as a primary negotiator during a 23-hour stand-off in which a mother suffering from mental illness took her two small children hostage. Most recently, she helped lead the team through a 29-hour hostage barricade where an ex-felon took a 4-year-old and the child's babysitter hostage, the longest standoff in LVMPD's history. Michelle was granted the responsibility of creating the lesson plan and implementing the training for her entire agency when LVMPD upgraded to a new radio system. She has been asked to speak at several events during her career to include luncheons honoring women in law enforcement, LGBTQ panels, school community events, Women's Leadership Conferences and Crisis Negotiation training. Michelle obtained her bachelor's degree from Liberty University majoring in Criminal Justice and graduating Summa Cum Laude. Law enforcement runs in Michelle's blood as both of her parents retired from LVMPD; her father as a Police Captain in 2015 and her mother as an Abuse and Neglect Specialist in 2018. She is most proud of her four young children, and her ability to balance both her professional career and motherhood.

Presenting:

• Verizon Frontline Lunch & Learn: Women in Public Safety: Creating a Balanced Workforce