Editor’s note: As part of its coverage of the 2022 election, the Sun is asking candidates a uniform set of questions related to the integrity of the 2020 presidential election nationally and in Nevada. We’re posing these questions to all candidates, including those running for nonpartisan offices, because we believe voters deserve to know where potentials leaders stand on an issue that is central to the survivability of our democracy.
It never bothered retired Metro Police Sgt. Stan Hyt that his former colleague, Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo, was leaving Metro to run for governor.
Even if Lombardo had planned on staying, Hyt — a 30-year veteran of Metro — was going to run for the county’s top cop job.
Stan Hyt
Hyt is one of three candidates vying for Clark County sheriff, joining former undersheriff Kevin McMahill and Nevada Assemblyman Tom Roberts, both of whom also served at Metro for several years. The difference, Hyt says, is that his opponents are too similar to Lombardo, whom he blames for low morale among Metro’s rank-and-file.
“I’m not a politician, I’m more of a line supervisor,” Hyt said. “From that perspective, I’ve had great perspective into what we can do. And I would like to empower not just top-down but bottom-up as well so we can solve these problems.”
Branding himself as a conservative constitutionalist, Hyt says he’s running to protect the civil liberties that the government, Lombardo included, is “slowly and quietly taking away.”
The 66-year-old Hyt joined Metro in 1978 after graduating from San Diego State University and stayed at the department until his retirement in 2008. His platform is based on eliminating mask and vaccine mandates, resisting systemic police reform and tightening election security — though several of his stances seemed rooted in disinformation regarding false claims of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election and the efficacy of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines.
Transparency with the public will be a top priority, Hyt said. He’d also like to boost enforcement on sex trafficking and re-establish a working relationship with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to limit the number of undocumented immigrants living in Clark County.
It’s because of those views that he feels like he’s been counted out too early.
“I think I’m the only conservative candidate of the three of us,” Hyt said, referring to McMahill and Roberts. “And I don’t think that’s a popular position with the media and with the establishment. So therefore, I’ve been excluded.”
The Sun published a question-and-answer story with McMahill and Roberts on Oct. 3. Hyt was interviewed Oct. 18. His comments have been edited for clarity and length.
If elected, how would your administration differentiate from Joe Lombardo’s?
Lombardo’s leadership is a bit more behind-the-scenes and I’d like to be a little more participative, a little more out in front. Of course, emergency-type situations require an authoritative-type leadership style. But I prefer to have a participative type, where I’m actually involved in the day-to-day of the operation of the police department.
Also including our subordinates, which are not being involved right now. Morale is low in the police department because they’re not being included, they’re not being supported. I just feel that involvement, empowerment is a major part of my campaign, as well as transparency. I don’t see any transparency in our current administration. We need to be open and honest with our community when things are good and when things are bad.
So there are many areas where I differ from Lombardo, even though I’ve worked with the man. I’m sure he’s got his own reasons for what he does. Mine are strictly constitutional and practical.
What would your administration’s approach be to policing the Strip?
We would use statistical compilations, which is the best strategy to combat violent crime, and basically every crime. We use crime reports to compile statistics. We try to develop patterns using date, time, location, try to figure out where the crime is actually taking place, when it’s happening, particular day, then we can put specific teams in position at those locations and hopefully catch crimes in progress.
Lombardo also removed our gang unit, which I think was a very powerful unit to fight specific types of crimes involving gangs. Gang officers, they have a particular set of knowledge skills relating to gang crime that normal police officers don’t have. So that specific knowledge can be used to thwart not only typical street crimes, but gang crimes as well.
There are particular strategies you would employ, and I would sit down with area commands. Sit down with them, kind of develop a brainstorming scenario that we can attack and that you can develop strategies for.
Five Metro officers have died from COVID-19 complications since the start of the pandemic. What would you do to help encourage officers to get the vaccine?
No. As a matter of fact, the first day I’m in office as sheriff, I’m going to remove that mandate. They are not going to be required to get the shot. And in fact, I’m going to hire other police officers that have been removed from other departments around our county because of that mandate. I want healthy officers. This shot is not a healthy thing.
So the first thing I’m going to do is remove the mandate. And I think I’m going to have a healthier police department. Because people are getting infected from people with the shot. And I believe the people, you said five have died? I believe they died because of this shot. I mean, that’s not a scientific statement. That’s an opinion.
But my personal belief is this is a country of freedom of choice. And that’s what I stand for 100%. You want to get that shot? I’ll support you in getting that shot. You don’t want to get the shot? I will support you in not getting the shot, and that’s what this country is all about.
What should Metro’s involvement be with enforcing immigration policy? Should the department re-establish its relationship with ICE?
First thing I would do is re-establish the relationship with ICE, and I would also get with a legal adviser and find out what recourse we have, what tools we have. And if we have no tools, then I would like to establish my relationship with the governor and see if we can get some tools. Because I just don’t feel it’s fair on our own community to force these overburdened resources and give them away to people. Even our vets aren’t treated as well as our illegal immigrants. We should start focusing on our vets and our homeless. These are our community members in Clark County. I’m all for immigration, OK? All for it. Just not for illegal immigration. I’m just not for having them forced into our neighborhoods and filling our schools and our hospitals with their sickness and their illiteracy. The fact is we haven’t got the resources for our own community, now it’s being thrust in our neighborhoods upon us?
Is Metro doing enough to weed out extremist views among its ranks?
I’m just not familiar with extremist views. I hear extremist views on Facebook here and there. I hear people ranting their positions, left and right. The sheriff’s position is a nonpartisan position, so I like to remain nonpartisan when it comes to those concerns. But as far as what they’re doing to weed out extremist positions, I would say we just need to be professional. We train our officers to be professional. Our job is to enforce laws. Serve and protect the community.
I believe in the Constitution. So I believe officers have a right to express their views. Now if that in any way affects their performance, then we need to deal with that as a performance issue. But everybody has a right to their views.
Was the 2020 election conducted freely and fairly?
No, absolutely not.
Do you believe that Joe Biden is the rightfully-elected President of the United States?
Not even close. He was installed. He was not elected. He knew it going in. That’s why he didn’t campaign.
Do you agree with the Nevada Republican Party’s censure of Barbara Cegavske based on how the 2020 election was conducted?
I’m still a constitutionalist. I believe Barbara Cegavske has an obligation to speak what she believes as an elected official. They elected her knowing, or should have known her position. She has a right to say what she wants to say.
However, I think she should be unelected from her position. Not recalled. But I think people that tend to agree should vote for her. People that don’t agree with her should not vote for her, and that’s the way I believe an election should be held. I don’t see how she can possibly — I’ve got in front of me a form that shows all the different forms of corruption that took place. Now, it’s her job to at least examine them.
Do you have any feelings on the Jan. 6 insurrection?
I don’t believe there was an insurrection. I believe that was something — people dressed up. There were antifa people, people staged and prepared for this. This was a staged event. And people have been arrested who weren’t even there. They were at Trump’s protest and Trump said let’s march peacefully to the White House. And they did. What took place after that was not from Trump supporters. Trump supporters are law-abiding people that basically work for a living. They’re not activists, aside from a few. … I believed that it was a staged event, and it was propagandized. That’s how I feel about that.