Photo By Sgt. Michael Orton | Sgt. Ivan Gonzalez of the Nevada Army National Guard 137th Military Police Company...... read more read more
LAS VEGAS - The celebration of all things 2012 and the prospect of a brand new 2013 brought more than 300,000 people to Las Vegas. Ensuring the safety of these hundreds of thousands of people and millions of dollars worth in property is no small task.
Staff Sgt. Emmitt Jordan of the Nevada Air National Guard 152nd Security Forces Squadron has the background in both military and law enforcement to help make sure that security for the New Year’s Eve celebrations rings in without a hitch.
Spanning a three-day period, Jordan and about 400 Air and Army National Guardsmen participated in Operation Vigilant Sentinel 12, a multifaceted security exercise. Eight Nevada Guard units have soldiers or airmen participating in the exercise, which culminates on New Year’s Day.
Northern and southern Nevada Guardsmen from the Air Force and Army, as well as numerous Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officers were on hand to aid in the security process.
With so many organizations working together, it was crucial that everyone was on the same page, Jordan said.
Jordan spent six years on active duty with the Army as military police. He specialized in criminal investigation.
Once out of the Army, Jordan wanted to find a civilian career that offered structural similarities to what he was familiar with in the Army, Jordan said.
Civilian law enforcement was the obvious answer.
“When I first got out of the Army from active duty, it was just something I wanted to do,” Jordan said. “Law enforcement offers the same (as military) as far as structure, leadership and commitment. It is one of the only other jobs that does that in the civilian world.”
Once Jordan secured a civilian job in law enforcement as a North Las Vegas police officer, he re-entered the military. Jordan joined the Nevada Air Guard in the 152nd Security Forces Squadron out of Reno, Nev.
This week, instead of Jordan heading north for drill with the 152nd, his fellow servicemen from Northern Nevada have flown into Las Vegas to participate in the New Year’s Eve exercise. One of those servicemen is Tech. Sgt. Michael Moore, a squad leader in the 152nd Security Forces Squadron.
“Everybody has a tool box they’re working on,” Moore said. “(Soldiers and airmen) are going to be able to draw on this experience (Operation Vigilant Sentinel).”
Fortunately, for leaders like Moore, knowing airmen and soldiers like Jordan are at the ready to dig into their wealth of experience helps things run smoothly.
“Knowing who I can count on to make things happen, that’s really crucial for exercises like this,” Moore said.
Jordan said he enjoys being able to put his skills to use and being a veteran of 16 combined years of military service, including two deployments, has really put things into perspective for him.
“The interactions between the Army, Air Force and metro police department have been great,” Jordan said. “It’s been a great working environment. It makes me feel good, I’m providing a service for my country, of course, and to the community.”
| Date Taken: | 01.01.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 01.01.2013 12:16 |
| Story ID: | 99833 |
| Location: | LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, US |
| Web Views: | 199 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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