‘I’m Joe Lombardo’: Nevada governor pulled over in traffic stop
Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo was pulled over in a May traffic stop in Las Vegas and wasn’t ticketed
ByJESSICA HILL Associated Press
July 14, 2026, 1:58 PM
LAS VEGAS –Nevada’s governor was pulled over by a Las Vegas police officer for allegedly running a red light in his pickup truck and wasn’t ticketed after immediately identifying himself
“I’m Joe Lombardo,” he said as the officer arrived at the passenger-side window, police body camera video obtained by The Associated Press shows
Gov. Joe Lombardo was pulled over May 15 by an officer from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, the agency Lombardo led as sheriff for eight years. The officer walks up to the passenger side of a light-gray Ford pickup truck and says, “hello, how are you doing, sir?” according to the video
Lombardo is in the driver’s seat, with his wife Donna Lombardo in the passenger seat
The officer begins to explain the reason for the stop, and Lombardo interrupts to say, “I’m Joe Lombardo.” The officer says, “I’m aware,” and continues to explain the stop was initiated because he did not see Lombardo stop at a red light before making a right turn
“Come on, man,” Lombardo says
The officer replies, “You’re good to go, sir. Appreciate ya. Have a good day,” and then walks away
The whole interaction lasts about 15 seconds of the 1 minute and 10 second video
The police department said the governor did not receive a citation but did not say why, however law enforcement officers say it is common to not give a citation over a minor violation
Lombardo’s campaign said the governor and his wife were headed to the airport when they were pulled over
“Governor Lombardo spoke with the officer, fully complied with all instructions, and was promptly on his way,” the campaign said in a statement Tuesday. “He remains grateful for the professionalism of the officer involved and for the service of law enforcement officers across Nevada.”
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Steve Grammas, the president of the Las Vegas Police Protective Association, said the interaction wasn’t uncommon. Officers stop drivers, explain why drivers are stopped and then let them go on their way
“It really is a big nothing in my opinion,” he said
Grammas, whose union endorsed the Republican governor, denied Lombardo received any special treatment. Typically officers ask for the driver’s license in order to identify them, but the officer already knew who the governor was, he said
“Being that it is the governor, the former sheriff, odds are he doesn’t have warrants, does not have a suspended driver’s license, and so there’s no need to run that person,” Grammas said
Grammas added that the governor didn’t identify himself as the governor, and simply said his name
Edward Obayashi, a deputy sheriff and policy adviser who teaches an ethics and policing class in California, said there is nothing unethical about what the governor or the officer did
“We let motorists off with a warning all the time,” Obayashi said
Obayashi said that it was obvious the officer already knew who he was stopping because he ran the license plate, and the governor identifying himself is a common courtesy
