Sin City’s homeland security teams have plenty of vice to combat. Law enforcement and investigative divisions working in homeland security jobs in Las Vegas have a steady challenge keeping up with major organized crime including human trafficking, terrorism, gun running, and international drug distribution networks. As those holding careers in homeland security will tell, the city of Las Vegas is a local front line in the War on Terror. Aside from being one of the primary targets for a terrorist attack outside of New York and DC, Las Vegas sits on top of a high intensity drug trafficking area that sees tons of narcotics passing through from Mexico and tens of thousands of firearms and millions of dollars going the other way to supply the cartels south of the border. The Las Vegas Metro Police Department’s Homeland Security Division consists of:
- Organized Crime Bureau
- Airport Bureau
- Southern Nevada Counter-Terrorism Center
- Homeland Security Bureau
Preparing for Future Homeland Security Jobs in Las Vegas
Homeland security training and certification is often included in the curriculum of law enforcement training academies at the city, county, and state levels. Citizens wanting to increase their competitiveness may wish to consider enrolling in an online homeland security undergraduate certification program that starts with 15 credit hours of classes including:
- Fundamentals of Homeland Security
- U.S. Law and Homeland Security
- Terrorism in Today’s World
Online graduate certification in the field includes two years of coursework in:
- Security Intelligence
- Homeland Security Emergency Preparedness and Response
- Emergency Management and Public Health
Homeland security degrees are also available for candidates who are set on future homeland security careers in Las Vegas. An online Associate Degree in Homeland Security will take the student through a two-year course that provides information about the history, foundation, and philosophy of homeland security, plus the most recent issues and events surrounding the field. Online Bachelor Degrees in Homeland Security expand on the two-year program and offer in-depth courses including:
- Critical Problem Analysis
- Homeland Security Colloquium
- Counterintelligence
- Homeland Security Field Experience
- Domestic Terrorism
Candidates interested in attending public university in Las Vegas will need to have a high school diploma or GED plus one of the following:
- A 3.0 GPA
- An ACT composite score of at least 22
- An SAT reading and math score of at least 1040
- A Nevada Advanced High School Diploma
Related homeland security programs at this institution include:
- Emergency Management Administration Program
- Fire Science Technology Program
- Psychology
- Mental Health Services Program
- Political Science
Threat of Terror in Las Vegas
At a recent forum hosted by the Las Vegas Metro Police Department, an FBI supervisory special agent stated that he believed the city was the third most probable target for a terrorist attack in the United States. A 1999 event by a lone-wolf white supremacist attack involving a gunman going on a shooting rampage in a Las Vegas Jewish community center highlights the danger posed by this type of terrorism, while the more often thought of and feared type of attack – a major terrorist incident involving weapons of mass destruction – is never far from the minds of homeland security officials.
Besides finding video footage casing Vegas hotels and tourist attractions in seized al Qaeda materials across the globe, a Nevada State Trooper recently pulled over a car for speeding to find five suspicious individuals and $4,000 in cash. When their cover story didn’t add up, the trooper ran their names through the National Crime Information Center with one returning a positive hit on the terrorism watch list. Based on a story pieced together by detectives, officials believe at least some of the men were planning to cross the border into Mexico and fly overseas to join an al Qaeda-allied terrorist group and fight against American targets and interests. The trooper contacted homeland security authorities which ultimately led agents to make an arrest.