Metro Police officers take up a position outside Planet Hollywood as an officer talks with a man Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020.
Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020 | 2 a.m.
Law enforcement officers in tan, yellow, seaweed green and navy blue uniforms are patrolling the walkways on the Las Vegas Strip during this late evening.
The multiagency effort has situated police at every corner, up and down Las Vegas Boulevard. Additionally, Metro Police cruisers with their red and blue patrol lights flashing are parked sporadically along the Strip in a show of force.
The heavy presence is part of a concentrated strategy to nip an unusual spike in violent crime in the tourist corridor and, more important, reassure visitors that Las Vegas is safe.
More than 10 brawls and shootings have occurred since the middle of September on the Strip, and footage of the mayhem has gone viral online, prompting concern from law enforcement and resort leaders who are working to attract business back to the Strip following COVID-19 closures.
It’s simple: If tourists don’t feel safe, they’ll stop coming.
Locals and visitors want a sense of safety, and Metro is doing everything to make that happen, said Capt. Dori Koren, who oversees Metro’s Convention Center Area Command, which envelops the Strip and its surrounding areas. Last weekend, that included calling in support from other area law enforcement agencies.
“Whether a criminal is used to being in another city where they can commit a shooting or a stabbing and get away with it for a long period of time, that doesn’t happen in Las Vegas,” he said.
On what appeared to be a mostly peaceful Saturday night, the diverse, mostly masked crowd of families and revelers coexisted with the increased police presence. Some greeted the officers; others took pictures with them.
Most important, after four consecutive weekends with episodes of violence on the Strip, no shootings or fights broke out.
A couple of men approached to chat with Metro Lt. Jose Hernandez, who then waved at a little girl, asking if she was having fun.
“We want to make sure they are all safe,” Hernandez said.
Standing on a pedestrian bridge, Relly Watson of East Chicago, Ind., said he was in Las Vegas for a couple days with his family to celebrate his 29th birthday. Although he heard about the violent incidents on the Strip before his trip, it didn’t deter him from coming here to celebrate.
“They went from three police to 20, look!” he said, pointing out the heavy police presence below the bridge. “Yeah, they’re doing a hell of a job right now. Keep it up.”
Wes Campbell, visiting with his wife, Jess, from a small town in Missouri, had a similar assessment. “I feel like the police are doing a good job,” he said. “They’ve done good, I feel safe with them out.”
The pandemic hasn’t stopped the couple’s travel, visiting 12 states in 10 days recently. “It’s probably better here than it was in most places,” Wes Campbell said, noting that Las Vegas and the not-so-stringent restrictions make it feel normal. “You have to be able to do something or your town is going to dry up.”
As portions of the Strip were reopening in June, Koren said Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo made it a priority to assure that it was done in the safest way possible.
But as more resorts reopened, and more visitors made their way to Las Vegas, Metro began to notice violence increase, and locals began to complain that they didn’t feel safe going to the Strip.
Koren said most violent crime offenses have been committed by out-of-staters.
But he noted that social media videos don’t fully grasp what’s happening on the Strip. Some are older and recirculated, making it appear as if the situation is worse than the reality.
Still, he stressed, a single violent incident is too many.
“It was critically important that we did the best we could to (help) strengthen the economic engine in our state, which is the tourist corridor,” Koren said.
“Operation Top Gun,” a 30-day effort that went on until Sept. 15, netted 63 illegal gun confiscations on the Strip and its surrounding area, said Koren, calling the operation a success.
Then came a series of seven shootings with eight gunshot victims beginning Sept. 19. That brought on Metro's “Operation Persistent Pressure,” and no gunfire has been reported on the Strip since Oct. 11.
The new approach aims to deter crime through omnipresence, Koren said. His substation has increased its collaboration with the department, thousands of resort security officers, the Clark County School District police and the Nevada Highway Patrol, which have deployed officers and troopers to the Strip.
Compared to this time in 2019, overall violent crime is up 7% in the areas Koren overseas, Metro statistics ending on Oct. 24 show.
But six weeks into the latest strategy, “We’re trending in the right direction,” Koren said Wednesday.
The direction is a 11% decrease in overall violent crime compared to the previous month on and near the Strip, including a 12% drop in aggravated assaults, and a 9% decline in robberies; rapes have plummeted 38%, he said.
“As long as we continue to do what we’ve been doing and these partnerships continue,” Koren said. “I think that the problem A: is starting to get resolved; and B: as long as we continue to do it, it will ultimately be resolved in a short time. That’s our hope, that’s our plan.”
“We still have a lot of work to do,” Koren added. “And we will.”
Officers have been more proactive with Strip visitors, whether it’s stopping people suspected of crimes and violations, Koren said, or friendly interactions with the tourists.
“Sometimes that leads to being able to prevent crime as well,” Koren said.
On this Saturday, several Clark County School District police K9 officers stood near the pedestrian bridge on Flamingo Road, Sgt. Bryan Zink said. The dogs were on hand to sniff abandoned items, such as backpacks, he said.
Although the K9 unit hadn’t recovered any guns, it was another sign of the officers' presence on the Strip.
“If they ask, we assist,” Zink said about Metro. “Because they do the same thing for us. … We have a great partnership with our law enforcement community in Southern Nevada, and we just want to keep that going. Because ultimately it’s for everybody’s safety.”
Resorts have also increased security measures, including some requiring patrons to go through a metal detector and checking bags before allowing them onto the property.
The Cosmopolitan partnered with Metro earlier in the month to station officers at every entrance and assist with security.
On Fridays and Saturdays, the Cosmo only grants entry to hotel guests, people with a food or beverage reservation or gamblers with a players card. The resort is also using metal detectors and checking hand-held bags.
“These enhanced procedures are a continuation of our dedicated effort to protect the health and safety of all those who enter the resort,” resort officials said in a statement.
The goal, after all, is for visitors to safely enjoy their experience — and continue to have fun.
“This is the best vibe ever. I ain’t scared of this at all,” Watson said.
