LAS VEGAS POLICE: OFFICER ARRESTED, FACES FELONY DRUG CHARGES

Cocaine among drugs found in search of man's Henderson home

A Las Vegas police officer is facing nine felony charges after his
colleagues say they found narcotics in his home.

Sean Curd, 29, is the third Las Vegas officer in less than a month to face
felony charges.

Detective Jack Brandon was accused last week of robbing a pair of slot
machine collectors in a Henderson bar and then using his unmarked police
car to make a getaway. Another officer, Jason Woodard, was arrested on
charges alleging he sexually abused a now-18-year-old woman over a
three-year period beginning when she was 13.

Police Sgt. Chris Darcy said in the latest case, a supervisor at the
Training Academy where Curd worked suspected that Curd was having personal
problems. After rumors of drug use started to surface, an investigation was
launched.

About six weeks ago, police served a search warrant on Curd's Henderson
home, Darcy said. There, police say they found materials believed to be
cocaine, steroids, and the animal tranquilizer Ketamine.

Subsequent tests confirmed these suspicions, and Curd was arrested on
Thursday, Darcy said. He was booked on eight counts of possession of a
controlled substance and one count of being under the influence of a
controlled substance.

"We found out about the conduct and we took action," Darcy said. "It is not
something we are going to tolerate."

Curd is on administrative leave with pay pending the outcome of both the
criminal case and an internal investigation. His future with the department
is not clear, but in the past, officers suspected of drug use have been fired.

David Kallas, executive director of the Las Vegas Police Protective
Association, said the union realizes Curd "has some problems."

"We realize that there is a system in place, and we are going to help him
get through the system so he can help himself and be a productive citizen,"
Kallas said.

Police currently do not conduct random drug tests of officers. In the past,
the police union had opposed such a practice.

Instead, police drug tested officers and detectives when they were assigned
to specialized units such as narcotics and vice detail.

Darcy said negotiations with the union recently have led to a random
drug-testing program for all officers. The program should be implemented by
this summer.