County seeking opinion on legality of ‘stripper-mobile’

By Kyle B. Hansen

Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009 | 5:35 p.m.

The stripper-mobile is already off the streets, but the Clark County Commission is determined to make sure it doesn’t come back.

During the board’s regular meeting Tuesday, Commissioner Steve Sisolak asked if clarifying existing county law to include a ban on live entertainment in vehicles would keep similar advertisements away from county streets.

The county’s legal counsel told him they think the law already prohibits dancers in the back of trucks, but it would probably be a good idea to clarify the law.

“If this was a violation, can somebody tell me why they weren’t cited?” Sisolak asked. “Because I kept getting the information that it wasn’t a violation.”

Capt. Charles Hank, who oversees Metro’s Convention Center Area Command, said the department didn’t cite the operators of the stripper-mobile because they were not sure whether the law was violated.

Hank said the department requested an opinion from the district attorney’s office on the law -- which prohibits vehicles with displays or signs that have moving or flashing lights or animation -- but hasn’t received the clarification needed to issue citations.

“Once we are given a clear direction of what we can enforce and we understand that they will prosecute, my officers are more than happy to go out and enforce the law,” Hank said.

Sisolak proposed adding the words “live entertainment” to the law to remove any ambiguity.

County staff said they would work with Sisolak on the language of the law for formal introduction at a future commission meeting.

Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani requested that the district attorney’s office work on clarifying all laws regarding mobile billboards.