Las Vegas jail official defends decision to quickly release Paris Hilton after arrest

Official defends Hilton’s quick release from jail

LAS VEGAS — Las Vegas police are defending the quick release of Paris Hilton from jail after her Aug. 27 arrest on suspicion of cocaine possession, saying they wanted to avoid disruptions in the jail’s operations.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Monday that Hilton was out of the jail in about three hours, roughly half the average time it takes to process people facing the same charge through the Clark County Detention Center.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Deputy Chief Jim Dixon, who runs the jail, acknowledges Hilton was pushed through the booking process in order to get her into a separate room and out of the jail as soon as possible.

He says celebrities such as Hilton draw attention from other inmates, and his officers would have had to try to keep inmates away from her.

Information from: Las Vegas Review-Journal, www.lvrj.com