Metro opened the doors to its high-tech operations center, addressed public concerns about license plate readers, and explained why responsible use may preserve access to lifesaving technology.
Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren said entering the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s Fusion Watch and Drone Operations Center feels a little like “Disneyland.”
When the doors opened, the comparison made sense.
The entrance to the center at LVMPD headquarters on Martin Luther King Boulevard has an almost TRON-like appearance. Digital artwork along the walls depicts drones, license plate readers, Cybertrucks, and other technology used by the department.
The design is impressive, but it also serves a purpose. It introduces visitors to the systems that come together inside the center, where personnel receive information, evaluate alerts, and assist officers across the Las Vegas Valley.
During our tour, an alert sounded inside the room. Koren pointed it out as personnel reviewed the information and determined whether follow-up was needed. It offered a brief look at what the center does in real time.
Sheriff Kevin McMahill also joined us for portions of the tour.
The center reflects McMahill’s stated goal for LVMPD:
“I want to be the most technologically advanced police department in the country.”
Continuing Metro’s Transformation
McMahill’s technology push did not begin in an institutional vacuum. 
LVMPD has spent years working to establish itself as a model law enforcement agency. It became the first police department in the country to participate in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Collaborative Reform Initiative, undertaking major changes to its policies, training, and use-of-force practices.
That history makes McMahill’s technology goal feel less like a sudden change in direction and more like the continuation of an existing one.
Metro has already demonstrated a willingness to examine its practices, adopt reforms, and place itself at the forefront of changes in modern policing. Under McMahill, technology has become the next major part of that effort.
Drones Positioned Across the Valley
Some of that technology is housed on the roof.
Upon stepping outside, visitors were given LVMPD drone-operations sunglasses. They quickly became useful as elevator doors opened to the bright Las Vegas sun.
Metro built two drone docking systems directly onto the rooftop. A freestanding shade canopy provides relief from the Las Vegas sun during demonstrations, while additional drone stations are positioned on top of it.
During the tour, the department launched a drone from one of the rooftop docks and demonstrated how personnel can control it remotely from the Fusion Watch Center.
LVMPD has 13 drone skyports positioned around the valley. Ten are located at police area commands, and three are staged at fire stations. From those locations, drones can be launched remotely and sent to incidents within the surrounding coverage area.
The drones can give officers an early look at a scene, help locate a suspect, or provide information about what responding officers may encounter.
The department also uses radio-frequency technology to detect drone activity in the area.
Koren discussed suspicious or unauthorized drones as an emerging threat.
Drones have become part of modern warfare overseas, and law enforcement agencies must now consider how they could be misused domestically or around large public events.
From Gunshots to License Plates
Fusion Watch brings together several forms of technology rather than relying on one system.
That includes drones, acoustic gunshot-detection systems, and automated license plate readers, commonly called ALPRs.
Gunshot-detection technology uses audio sensors to detect the sound of possible gunfire and estimate where it originated. An alert can give police information about a shooting even before someone calls 911.
ALPR cameras collect specific details about passing vehicles. Depending on what is visible, that can include a license plate, the vehicle’s color, and other identifying features. Investigators can search those data points when looking for a vehicle connected to a crime or public safety concern.
Koren clarified that Flock Safety is a vendor, not the name of the underlying technology. LVMPD previously used a system supplied by Motorola.
That distinction has become blurred in the public conversation. “Flock cameras” is now often used as shorthand for license plate reader technology itself, even though Flock is simply Metro’s current vendor.
Technology, Privacy and the Public Trust
When asked about the most common misconception surrounding Flock cameras, Koren said many people picture officers sitting inside a room watching motorists through a continuous livestream.
That is not how the system operates, he explained.
The cameras collect vehicle information and retain it for 90 days. To access the data, investigators must provide a legitimate law enforcement reason for the search. The system also records who performed each search and the reason provided.
Koren said effective oversight requires identifying opportunities for misuse and establishing accountability measures before problems arise, while emphasizing that actual incidents of misuse of the technology in general are exceedingly rare.
He pointed to facial-recognition technology as another example of Metro’s restrained approach. Private properties, including Las Vegas casinos, may operate facial-recognition systems continuously. Metro does not, Koren explained.
Instead, the department deploys facial recognition in connection with a specific crime. He offered the example of an armed robbery suspect captured by a gas station camera. Investigators could use the recorded image to help identify that suspect without continuously scanning the faces of people passing through public spaces.
The distinction is between using technology to investigate a crime and using it to watch the public continuously.
“Transparency” is the theme of Metro’s approach, Koren said. That includes acknowledging where misuse could occur, creating accountability measures and being clear with the public about how the technology is used.
Those questions could soon reach Carson City. Nevada News & Views staff toured the center alongside Nevada legislative candidates Erica Neely and Kelly Chapman. During the visit, I asked Koren whether license plate readers and similar technologies could become an issue during Nevada’s next legislative session.
Koren did not predict what lawmakers might introduce, but he identified a broader challenge: Technology moves faster than government. That gap is especially pronounced in Nevada, where the Legislature ordinarily meets only once every two years.
Police cannot always wait for the government to catch up before testing or deploying a tool that could produce immediate public safety results.
Metro’s drone program demonstrates how quickly that technology can evolve. Initially, officers transported drones to crime scenes and launched them from the field. Now, drones are stationed throughout the valley and can be launched and piloted remotely through the Fusion Watch Center.
Koren also expressed concern that proposals introduced under the banner of regulation may sometimes reflect broader anti-police sentiment. His comments did not suggest that Metro opposes oversight. But he also made clear that the department does not want to be handicapped or lose access to tools capable of producing results for the public.
More Than a Slogan
As the tour continued, it became clear what Koren means when he says technology should “solve crimes and save lives.”
Before becoming assistant sheriff, Koren led Metro’s Homicide Section. As of October 19, 2025, Metro reported solving 91 percent of the murders it investigated, one of the strongest records among major police departments nationwide.
Koren reflected on a time when violent offenders could continue committing crimes while investigators worked to identify and locate them. Technology has shortened that window. Finding a murderer faster does more than solve the first crime. It can place that person into custody before a spree produces another victim.
McMahill’s brief appearance inside the center also offered a glimpse of the leadership behind Metro’s emphasis on information.
When Koren asked him for a homicide statistic involving another major city, the sheriff answered without hesitation. He did not defer to staff or ask someone to look it up. He simply knew the number.
The moment was small, but revealing. McMahill’s quick answer reflected the purpose of Metro’s technology push. It is not about watching everyone or buying flashy equipment. It is about finding the relevant information and acting on it faster.
The TRON-like entrance may provide the initial excitement, but the real measure of Fusion Watch is time.
The technology allows police to do what they have always done, only better, faster, and smarter. It shortens the distance between a crime, an answer, and a response. Sometimes, that difference is measured in minutes. Sometimes, it is measured in lives.
The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Nevada News & Views. This article was written with the assistance of AI.
