42-year-old sargeant Kevin Menon of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) was jailed on Friday following a report from the LVMPD Internal Affairs Division that looked into several allegedly questionable arrests that had Las Vegas Strip tourists as targets.
According to jail records available online, Menon, who was arrested on several counts connected to a larger investigation and sent to the Clark County Detention Center, may have been released the following day after paying the initial bail of $27,000.
He was supposed to appear in local court on Saturday.
Menon, “Ecstatic or Electrified” After Being Sworn in 10 Years Ago
The LVMPD had already put Menon on leave since May and also had his police powers suspended as a result of allegations that, according to unnamed sources that spoke to KLAS, he and fellow police officers bumped into tourists who were visiting the city, which in turn led to struggles and fights that eventually ended with the tourists getting arrested.
Menin, who is currently still on the payroll, has been an LVMPD officer for a decade, working as part of the Tourist Safety Division, Convention Center Area Command (CCAC).
The CCAC, which opened in November 2008 with funding from the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority, includes the Las Vegas Strip Corridor and is responsible for patrolling the area with the highest population density of all jurisdictions within the LVMPD.
In 2014, after he was sworn in as a police officer, Menon commented “This experience has been humbling. It’s taught me more than I could ever imagine.” adding that he felt “ecstatic or electrified”.
Battery, Oppression, and Subornation of Perjury Charges
Menon was booked on several charges, including a single count of battery on a protected person, a single count of oppression under color of office with force, eight different counts of oppression under color of office, and two counts of subornation of perjury as per Las Vegas TV station KSNV.
The oppression charges allege that Menon unlawfully, maliciously, and under pretense or color of official authority, arrested or detained one or several persons against their will, with or without injuring the individuals, their property, or rights.
The subornation of perjury charge alleges he induced another person to lie while under oath.
If found guilty, Menon could be looking at a prison sentence. He is expected to enter a plea on the charges.
The LVMPD investigation, which has already spread over several months, is ongoing. No news on any additional arrests has been heard.
The number of victims has not been disclosed and the authorities did not reveal the motivation behind the actions of Menon and the rest of the officers under investigation.
Last November, a Clark County Park Police officer was also charged with oppression under color of office, as well as misconduct of a public officer and coercion with force or threat of force after he allegedly threatened a woman with prison and forced her to engage in sexual intercourse with him in a casino parking garage.
In October 2023, an ex-Las Vegas police officer was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for three major Las Vegas casino heists that amassed more than $160,000.