The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department plans to launch a new technology-driven initiative aimed at strengthening the city’s defenses against terrorism, Sheriff Kevin McMahill announced Friday during his annual State of the Department address.
The initiative, known as the Meridian Project, is designed to expand Metro’s Counter-Terrorism Bureau and enhance its global intelligence capabilities. McMahill said the program comes in response to a series of recent threats and incidents, including a foiled ISIS-inspired plot, a credible school threat, the discovery of a large biohazard lab linked to a foreign country, the Tesla Cybertruck explosion at Trump Tower, and a bombing at Piero’s restaurant.
McMahill stated that Las Vegas remains a high-profile target and said the department can no longer rely as heavily on federal and out-of-state intelligence partnerships as it has in the past.
The Meridian Project is expected to roll out within the next year and will include a 24/7 real-time analysis desk staffed by seven analysts embedded within Metro’s fusion center. The department also plans to add a second counter-terrorism squad to ensure continuous operational coverage.
More than $1 million in private donations and grant funding will pay for the modernization of the fusion center workspace. The initiative also calls for establishing a global intelligence network in key U.S. cities and international locations.
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