Las Vegas Police Officers Praised for Kind Response to 7 Kids Locked in Closet

By Grace Da Rocha

Source Las Vegas Sun

W hen Metro Police Officers Dave Foster and Mike Ross responded to a call at a vacant luxury home in the northwestern valley last month, the last thing they expected to find was seven children hiding in a locked closet.

Body camera footage from the officers shows Foster and Ross comforting the scared children — who ranged from toddlers to teenagers — by singing songs and getting them chicken nuggets from McDonald's.

The two officers were honored Wednesday during Metro's Good Ticket Award Ceremony at Resorts World.

"It feels good to be recognized," Ross told the Sun after the ceremony. "It's very generous of the (Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department) Foundation and Resorts World to give us such great gifts, but the act was kind of something cops do every day, so, like, we weren't expecting anything to come of it; (we were) just trying to make the day a little better for the kids."

The foundation is the nonprofit arm that raises money for Metro's community engagement efforts, equipment and officer training. It hosts a ceremony monthly to award officers that "go above and beyond the call of duty," explained Karen Marben, executive director of the foundation.

In 2019, Sydney Ramenofsky — a member of the Girl Scouts of Southern Nevada — proposed that officers hand out Good Tickets to civilians for their good deeds. The program now serves as a way for residents to nominate Metro officers for recognition of "their positive actions in the community," the foundation said.

Resorts World has sponsored the award since 2022. Past recipients include two officers from the South Central Area Command who helped an injured UNLV professor survive an active shooter situation on campus Dec. 6, 2023.

Marben began the ceremony Wednesday by recalling the incident Ross and Foster responded to on Dec. 11.

Metro had received a call from the owner of an uninhabited luxury property in the northwest Las Vegas Valley who said they had just purchased the house in an online auction and noticed signs of someone living in the building when they went to check on it.

Foster and Ross were sent to investigate along with a team from Metro's Northwest Area Command, searching more than 40,000 square feet before coming upon a locked closet in one of the bedrooms, Marben said.

A locksmith was called and, 30 minutes later, unlocked the door that hid seven children behind it. Some of the older children were caring for the young toddlers and baby, she added.

According to body camera footage from the call, Ross and Foster took the children to one of the squad cars, where they mentioned it had been a while since they last ate. They were without parental supervision.

The two officers began making a plan to get them food and kept them entertained using music — even going so far as to sing along with the children to calm them down.

The children are now being cared for and healthy. Details about the children's parents was not disclosed.

"I watched the body-worn video footage of those officers and was so struck by the way that they treated these kids with dignity and caring, with some humor," Marben told the Sun. "I think it really just showed that side of policing that we don't often see; that Sheriff (Kevin) McMahill talks about injecting humanity into every single police interaction."

Ross and Foster were met with thunderous applause when they approached the center of Gatsby's Cocktail Lounge, where they were presented with a bundle of roses and certificate for a two-day "staycation" at Resorts World, two tickets to any show of their choice and $500 in dining credit from the resort.

Brian Spellacy, director of security at Resorts World, said it was important to recognize the "compassion and humility with which they do their job." But it's these police interactions that keep the community safe, he stressed.

Alex Dixon, the new CEO of Resorts World, thanked the officers for their actions, saying he had a longtime connection with law enforcement through his father, who worked as parole and probation officer for the state of Nevada.

Dixon told a story of his childhood friend — Metro Officer James Le'Treall Manor — who died on May 7, 2009, after his patrol cruiser collided with another vehicle while he was responding to a reported violent domestic disturbance.

Because of how the foundation honored Manor, Dixon said he was grateful to see Resorts World recognizing officers doing good in the community.

"There's so much that we can learn from you; showing up for humanity, stepping up ... and being there no matter the case, no matter the time," Dixon told Ross and Foster. "I'm excited because of what you have done for members of our community, so enjoy the stay (and) enjoy the food."

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