Chaplain Dean Sanner
Lead police chaplain · Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department · Clinical therapist
Dean Sanner is a long-serving police chaplain, clinical therapist, and ordained minister whose leadership was put to the ultimate test during the deadliest mass shooting in modern United States history. Since joining the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) as a volunteer chaplain in 2005, Sanner has provided spiritual and emotional care to first responders and community members facing critical incidents, line-of-duty crises, and severe trauma.
Leadership with LVMPD and Clinical Practice
In 2017, Chaplain Sanner was named the first Lead Police Chaplain for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. In this role, he oversees a team of 22 volunteer police chaplains assigned across various area commands and specialized sections. Working in close coordination with LVMPD's Peer Support and Wellness Bureau, his chaplaincy team provides 24/7 confidential support, ride-alongs, debriefings, and crisis intervention for sworn officers and professional staff.
Parallel to his public safety ministry, Sanner brings extensive clinical credentials to first-responder wellness. He is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in both California and Nevada, as well as an AAMFT-approved Clinical Supervisor. He serves as an adjunct faculty member across two universities, training clinicians in family therapy, trauma-informed care, and crisis counseling. Additionally, he serves as an ordained minister and pastor in North Las Vegas, Nevada.
Response to the Route 91 Harvest Mass Shooting
On the evening of October 1, 2017, the Route 91 Harvest music festival at the Las Vegas Village—a 15-acre outdoor venue on the Las Vegas Strip—became the site of unprecedented tragedy. Between 10:00 PM and 10:15 PM, a lone gunman positioned on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel opened fire on a crowd of over 22,000 concertgoers. Firing more than 1,100 rounds of ammunition before taking his own life, the attacker killed 58 people and injured 851 others.
As Lead Police Chaplain, Sanner deployed directly into the aftermath of the crisis, mobilizing LVMPD’s chaplaincy team to support overwhelmed first responders, hospital staff, and grieving families. His unique dual background as a clinical therapist and law enforcement chaplain proved vital in guiding officers through the immediate psychological shock, acute trauma, and long-term recovery following the event.