IN 1973, THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT AND THE CITY POLICE IN LAS VEGAS MERGED INTO ONE LARGE UNIT, THE LAS VEGAS METROPOLITAN POLICE, WITH JURISDICTION OVER MOST OF CLARK COUNTY AND ALL OF THE CITY. IT WAS ENVISIONED THAT CONSOLIDATION WOULD RESULT IN BETTER POLICING AND SAVE LOCAL GOVERNMENT MONEY. POLICE CONSOLIDATION, HOWEVER, WAS COMPLICATED BY THE FACT THAT THREE MUNICIPALITIES IN CLARK COUNTY RETAINED THEIR OWN POLICE DEPARTMENTS. POLITICAL AND JURISDICTIONAL CONTROVERSY ENSUED. CITY OFFICIALS FELT LAS VEGAS HAD LOST MUCH OF ITS POLICE PROTECTION TO UNINCORPORATED COUNTY AREAS AND WERE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THE FACT THAT THEY NO LONGER HAD DIRECT CONTROL OVER POLICE DECISIONS. POLICE OFFICIALS AND CITIZENS WERE GENERALLY SATISFIED WITH THE CONSOLIDATION. THE CITY AND COUNTY SPENT A COMBINED TOTAL OF $13 MILLION FOR POLICE AND SHERIFF DEPARTMENTS IN FISCAL YEAR 1972-1973. THE BUDGET FOR THE METROPOLITAN UNIT INCREASED TO $29 MILLION BY 1977-1978, PRIMARILY DUE TO INCREASED POLICE SERVICES REQUIRED FOR THE RAPIDLY EXPANDING POPULATION AND TO INFLATION. CERTAIN EXTRA COSTS, SUCH AS SALARY RAISES, COULD BE TRACED DIRECTLY TO CONSOLIDATION. ONE OF THE MAJOR ADVANTAGES OF CONSOLIDATION WAS THE DEVELOPMENT OF A COMPUTERIZED COMMUNICATION SYSTEM TO ENABLE BETTER HANDLING OF POLICE CALLS. THE CONSOLIDATION OF POLICE DEPARTMENTS IN ADJACENT METROPOLITAN AREAS OF SMALL POLICE DEPARTMENTS INTO LARGER UNITS HAS BEEN RECOMMENDED BY MANY COMMISSIONS, REPORTS, AND EXPERTS, ALTHOUGH CONSOLIDATION IS AN EMOTIONAL ISSUE THAT WILL PROBABLY BE DISPUTED FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME. CONSOLIDATION PROPOSALS AND ACTIVITIES HAVE OCCURRED IN FLORIDA, MINNESOTA, MARYLAND, MICHIGAN, VERMONT, AND CALIFORNIA AND IN CANADA. EVEN IF THE ISSUE OF LOCAL CONTROL IS RESOLVED, THE QUESTION STILL REMAINS AS TO WHETHER LARGE AGENCIES ARE ALWAYS BETTER THAN SMALL AGENCIES. CRIMINAL VICTIMIZATION IS LOWER IN SMALL JURISDICTIONS, AND CITIZENS EXPRESS MORE SATISFACTION WITH THE POLICE IN AREAS COVERED BY SMALL DEPARTMENTS. ALTERNATIVES TO CONSOLIDATION ARE MORE PROFESSIONAL BACKUP SERVICES FROM GOVERNMENT (FEDERAL, STATE, AND COUNTY ASSISTANCE TO MUNICIPALITIES), CONTRACTING BETWEEN SMALL LOCAL GOVERNMENTS WITH A LARGER ENTITY TO PROVIDE FULL POLICE SERVICES, AND THE FORMATION OF COOPERATIVES. (DEP)