Editorial: Wondering whether Metro police show restraint?

Sunday, June 14, 2015 | 2 a.m.

With all the video evidence, it’s little wonder there’s such outrage over cops who lose control and escalate, sometimes lethally, what otherwise might be manageable situations.

We saw it most recently in McKinney, Tex., where video captured a white police officer going “out of control,” as his chief said, while trying to deal with a large gathering of mostly black teenagers at a pool party.

Our own Metro Police department has been in the crosshairs too, with officer-involved shootings getting the attention of the Justice Department.

It might seem like long gone are the days of the local beat cop arriving at a scene, taking stock of the situation and mapping a plan to keep the peace and work through the issue. Most officers were welcomed members of a neighborhood, known for tact and civility in handling disturbances.

Today, community policing is falling out of favor, cops are stressed due to understaffing, and the public has become more quick to challenge authority.

Now comes a new video that brings us some comfort. It shows Metro Police dealing with a crowd issue on Tomiyasu Lane, which includes some of the most palatial estates in Clark County. What does this video show? Cops doing all the right things, peacefully and efficiently.

On this particular night, May 2, a championship boxing match between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao would draw the largest ever pay-per-view crowd. And on Tomiyasu Lane, a home once owned by boxer Mike Tyson was the scene of a watch party. More than 200 people, most of them young black men, said they bought tickets for $350 to $1,200 but when they showed up, the house was full and they were denied admission. Some witnesses reported that armed people inside the gated estate prevented outsiders from getting in. The crowd was angry, and the scene seemed potentially ugly. Someone called the police.

And here’s what happened, as related by witnesses and bolstered by a 20-minute video shared with The Sunday: More than a dozen Metro officers arrived, and with no shouting, no barking, no pushiness and no demands, made conversation with the group. They learned they were dealing with boxing fans who seemed to have been swindled. What could have been intimidating crowd of angry people quickly was soothed by the arriving officers who got out of their patrol cars without swagger or attitude.

“How much did everyone pay?” an officer is heard asking on the video, shot by a neighbor. “Three-fifty,” some people yell. “Fifteen hundred,” others say. The officers now are sorting out the victims.

“All right, the less you paid, go down this way, and the more you paid, go up that way,” an officer instructs. “Organize yourselves based on how much you paid. …We’re going to try to get your money back.”

And they did. At the urging of the officers, ticket holders who paid cash got it back. Those who used credit cards were advised by police to contact the card companies to seek refunds. Then the cops called for cabs to help those without vehicles get back to the Strip.

“Our officers try to resolve things in the most peaceful way possible,” Metro spokesman Larry Hadfield said later. “We give people the opportunity to solve their own problems when the opportunity offers itself.”

Said the neighbor who recorded the scene: “The cops were easygoing. There was easy conversation. People were respectful of each other. The entire scene was managed beautifully. It could have been a national incident, depending on how it turned out. But it was a nonevent.”

Are Las Vegas police better trained than others in handling potentially volatile situations?

The neighbor speculated: “Cops here probably see so much crazy stuff, compared to most other cities, they know how to handle it. In crowd situations, they’re very good at restraint and problem-solving.”

And for that, we’re thankful.