Nevada homeland security chief announces resignation

CARSON CITY — The man picked by Gov. Jim Gibbons to lead the Department of Homeland Security in an unusual appointment made just after midnight on Jan. 1 is stepping down Friday.

Lawrence Martines, described in the announcement of his appointment six months ago as a worldwide consultant in counterterrorism, is leaving of his own volition, said Melissa Subbotin, Gibbons’s spokeswoman. No reason was cited for Martines leaving the $112,500-a-year job.

Martines did not return a telephone call or an e-mail seeking comment.

A high-ranking law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity said Martines alienated people he was supposed to be working with by not seeking their input and skipping important meetings, such as a May meeting of the Nevada Sheriffs and Chiefs Association. Martines was on the agenda to speak, but without warning, he failed to show up.

Meanwhile, Martines angered Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Washoe County officials with his push for Gibbons’ plan for a “fusion hub” in the state capital. But his ouster came as a surprise because he was seen as doing Gibbons’ bidding, the source said.

“It shocked me, because it seemed that the only reason he was there (in that position) was that he was Gibbons’ guy,” the source said. “If his job was public safety, no one in public safety even knew who he was.”

Gibbons’ push for the fusion hub, one of his top priorities, did not win a clear-cut victory from lawmakers. The fusion hub as described by Gibbons, which would cost $651,000, would provide a handful of positions to collect security information from Las Vegas and Reno and distribute it to law enforcement statewide to ensure a sharing of information. The hub would ensure two-way communication that does not exist now, he said in May.

Gibbons did not get the hub funded in the budget, but he can approach the Legislature’s Interim Finance Committee with a plan to fund the proposal if local Nevada law enforcement officials sign on to the idea.

John Douglas, now serving as the administrator of the Investigations Division within the Department of Public Safety, will serve as acting director of Homeland Security, Subbotin said.

Douglas said he will serve as the “interim adviser” of the agency until a permanent replacement is named. Other than that, he had no comment.

Martines was appointed as director of homeland security in an unusual way. Gibbons decided to take the oath of office in his own home just after midnight on New Year’s Day. At the same time, he appointed Martines as homeland security director.

Gibbons said he took the oath of office at midnight because it was the first transition to a new governor since the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Martines founded and directed the Citizen’s Homeland Security Council through the Washoe County sheriff’s office. He had a 21-year career in the Los Angeles County sheriff’s department and has taught security, law enforcement and counterterrorism for more than 20 years. He has also consulted in crisis management and counterterrorism for two decades.

The purpose of the Homeland Security Department is to collaborate, advise, assist and engage with various federal, state and local entities, as well as the general public, to prevent and respond to major terrorism events. The office was created by the 2003 Legislature.

The state Homeland Security Commission, which advises the department, is scheduled to meet next on Aug. 8. The meeting will include decisions on how to allocate federal grant money from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The federal agency is expected to announce its grant allocations within the next few days.

Las year, the state received more than $20 million in federal homeland security funding.