Strip curfew for kids under 18 to be strictly enforced

Karen Zekan

Friday, March 21, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

People under 18 caught on the Strip after 9 p.m. will face stiff fines this weekend as Metro Police and the Nevada Highway Patrol team up to clear the sidewalks and roadways of curfew violators.

Many schools let out for spring break this afternoon -- the moment local law enforcement typically begins seeing young people hanging out on the street corners and cruising Las Vegas Boulevard in violation of the county ordinance banning unaccompanied minors after 9 p.m., said Trooper Steve Harney, Nevada Highway Patrol spokesman.

"Unless they are with a parent or guardian, they are not allowed to be out there," Harney said. "It just adds to the congestion down there that goes on all the way through summer. You've got gang-bangers out there, and kids that are 16, 17 years old drinking and driving."

A team of 35 officers on bikes and in cars will patrol from the Stardust hotel-casino to Caesars Palace from 9 p.m. today to 3 a.m. Saturday, and again Saturday night, Harney said.

"We made 64 arrests and gave 115 tickets in less than a five-hour period the same time last year," Harney said. "Our goal is to make the Strip area safe for tourists and locals alike."

Law enforcement will additionally post "No U-Turn" signs at all intersections along the Strip and cite any violators.

Harney said he spread the message Thursday by traveling to all Las Vegas high schools and junior high schools.

"We want to give them fair warning that this is not the place for them to be," he said. "If they're with their parents, it's not a problem. But a lot of kids get in trouble there because they have no place else to go."

Harney said violators will be either cited or arrested and their vehicles towed.

"I told them that it's going to cost both them and their parents a lot of money," Harney said. "The time they'll have to take off from work to go to court, the towing charge which can run about $50 to $75, and the citation, which can cost from $55 to $175."