Locked In with Ian Bick
Locked In with Ian Bick

I Was a Las Vegas Cop for 26 Years — This Is What I Can Never Unsee | Sasha Larkin

October 15, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Sasha Larkin spent 26 years with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, rising from patrol officer to become Nevada’s first female assistant sheriff. She worked the streets through some of the city’s darkest moments—two officer-involved shootings, the 1 October Mandalay Bay massacre, and the assassination of two of her officers at a CiCi’s Pizza. But the core of her story is not about the violence she saw. It is about what she learned from it: that policing built on arrest numbers and broken-windows theory was failing, and that real public safety required something she had to discover for herself.

From Showgirl to Street Cop

Larkin’s path to law enforcement was anything but direct. She grew up in Albuquerque, raised by a single mother who later married an abusive man who drained their finances and disappeared, leaving them in a battered women’s shelter. By 16, Larkin was doing martial arts and went on a ride-along with undercover narcotics officers. She bought crack cocaine as a decoy and watched a man get shot in the head moments later. “I couldn’t wait to be a cop,” she says. But first she became a Las Vegas showgirl in the 1990s, then a bartender. When police recruiters recognized her from the bar, she agreed to one more ride-along. Nothing dramatic happened, but she was hooked. She joined the academy in January 1999.

Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.

Read Full Summary →

Free • No credit card required

Listen to Audio Summary Open in App

What you'll learn

  • 1 (01:27) **"Drop the Gun" — Opening Hook** - Sasha Larkin describes the moment she shot a suspect who had just killed a retired Canadian police officer.
  • 2 (02:08) **Childhood & The Abusive Stepfather** - Sasha explains how her mother married a charming, abusive man who drained their bank accounts and abandoned them.
  • 3 (05:06) **The Ride-Along That Changed Everything** - At 16, a ride-along with undercover narcotics officers convinced Sasha she had to be a cop.
  • 4 (08:59) **From Showgirl to Police Academy** - Police recruiters convinced her to go on one more ride-along, and the experience was so addicting she immediately applied.
  • 5 (16:13) **The Academy: Shaving Her Head** - On the first day of the academy, Sasha was told she had to shave her head above her ears, stripping her of her femininity.
  • 6 (21:02) **First Day on Patrol & The Lesson on Strengths** - Sasha's first day was during a massive flood, and her first FTO taught her the most important lesson of her career.
  • 7 (30:16) **The Wild West of Policing in the Late 90s** - Sasha describes the dangerous, violent, and distrustful environment she worked in during her early years on patrol.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

Sasha Larkin spent more than 26 years with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, rising through the ranks to become the first woman in Nevada history to serve as an Assistant Sheriff. In this episode, she takes us inside her career in Las Vegas law enforcement — from her unlikely path from professional dancer and bartender to police officer, to working the streets, rising through leadership, and responding to some of the most difficult moments the city has ever faced. Sasha shares stories from decades on the job, the trauma officers carry home, and her experience serving as an incident commander during the October 1, 2017 Route 91 Harvest Festival mass shooting.

Thank you to CASH APP for sponsoring this episode:

Download Cash App Today: https://click.cash.app/ui6m/6pao71et #cashapppod Cash App is a financial services platform, not a bank. Banking services provided by Cash App's bank partner(s). Prepaid debit cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC. Cash App Visa® Debit Flex Cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC, and The Bancorp Bank, N.A., pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. See terms and conditions for the Sutton prepaid card, Sutton debit flex card, and Bancorp debit flex card. Discounts and promotions provided by Cash App, a Block, Inc. brand. Visit cash.app/legal/podcast for full disclosures.

🔒 Want more Locked In? Get bonus episodes, ad-free listening, exclusive content + a FREE welcome box. Subscribe here: https://lockedin.supportingcast.fm/

Connect with Sasha Larkin:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sasha-larkin-2012sjs108

Website: https://www.sashalarkin.com/

Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick:

https://ianbick.com/\

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction: The Shooting
00:40 Childhood and Early Life
03:31 Inspired to Become a Cop
04:48 From College to Vegas Showgirl
07:30 The Ride Along That Sparked a Calling
10:40 Family and the Switch to Policing
14:35 The Police Academy: Equal Pay, Equal Hair
19:30 Early Career and Mentors
23:00 A Humbling First Chase
25:15 Realizing Your Strengths
28:20 Policing a Distrustful Community
31:05 The Suicidal Man and the Car Hood Death
36:15 A Captain's Advice: The Gray Cloud
38:20 Becoming a Training Officer
39:10 The First Officer-Involved Shooting
50:55 The Second Shooting: Thanksgiving Chaos
59:20 Guns and Uniforms
01:01:45 The Sergeants Test and Kathy O'Connor
01:07:55 First Day as a Sergeant
01:12:00 The Mosque Outreach
01:17:15 Learning from a Notorious Drug Dealer
01:20:00 The Route 91 Harvest Festival Shooting
01:55:25 Re-Entry and Prison Reform
02:06:15 Retirement and

Locked In with Ian Bick

More from this podcast

Locked In with Ian Bick →