Police plan satellite office in northwest

Diana Sahagun

Tuesday, Sept. 14, 1999 | 10:39 a.m.

The North Las Vegas City Council is expected to approve the police department's first satellite office in the northwest part of the city at Wednesday night's meeting.

The police plan to lease a small office at Craig Road and Martin Luther King Boulevard to house the seven-member crime prevention division. The five-year lease through the city will cost approximately $28,000 a year.

The move was initiated to provide more space for the overcrowded police department, as well as to "increase visibility in the Craig area where we have tremendous growth," North Las Vegas Police technical services commander Chris Larotonda said.

Residents may have been less likely to utilize the crime prevention division in the past because of the maze of elevators and secretaries it took to get to the third floor, he said. The drive from the northwest part of town also takes at least 15 minutes, which has been another drawback.

Now residents will be able to walk into the new satellite office and be greeted at the door.

"It will save a lot of time if people just want to pick up a brochure," he said.

The crime prevention division offers more than 40 programs, including Neighborhood Watch. While no police officers will be dispatched from the site, three Drug Abuse Resistance Education, or DARE, officers, three crime prevention specialists and a manager will occupy the space.

The new office will also keep DARE officers closer to elementary schools, which are the officers' main target for education.

Dawn Parrish, crime prevention manager, said the department is looking forward to the move, but is not sure what to expect.

"We'll see what the needs are," she said. "We don't know what the needs are out there right now."

The department is planning on moving into the new building by the end of the month.

"It's a nice shot in the arm as far as more space in the police department," Larotonda said. "But it's also a dual role because now people will have more access."