Terror added to Metro’s New Year’s watch

Jace Radke

Thursday, Dec. 13, 2001 | 10:15 a.m.

In addition to controlling an estimated New Year's Eve crowd of 250,000 filled with rowdy drunks, pole climbers and flashers, Metro Police are preparing for possible threats of terrorism.

"We are always trying to anticipate, and expect the unexpected," Deputy Chief Mike Zagorski said. "We're still going to be looking out for that inebriated person at 7:30 p.m. who could be a problem at midnight, but our officers will also be looking in different directions.

"They'll be looking for any backpacks or packages left by themselves, and for anything out of the ordinary, or at least out of the ordinary for New Year's in Las Vegas."

Other added precautions include a more visible presence by the department's mounted patrol and more officers on Las Vegas Boulevard. This year there will be more than 1,000 officers on Las Vegas Boulevard from Russell Road to Sahara Avenue, compared to about 750 officers last year. Police will also deploy eight horses and riders, which can be used to clear paths through crowds.

Zagorski, who is in charge of Metro's patrol division, including New Year's deployment, said that planning for New Year's in light of Sept. 11 has not been easy.

"It's been more difficult to gauge what we can expect, because the flying public hasn't come all the way back, and travel has been down," Zagorski said. "I think it would be reasonable to expect less people this year than in years past."

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority estimated that 263,000 tourists were in town for last year's celebration. LVCVA officials have yet to determine an estimate this year, but police always plan for anything from 250,000 to half a million.

Metro's plan for crowd control revolves around the use of metal barricades that will begin appearing along the curbs on Las Vegas Boulevard in the afternoon on Dec. 31. The barricades were first used in 1998, and allow police to gradually close the Strip to traffic by moving the barricades toward the center of the roadway from both sidewalks as the crowd grows.

The barricades, which are waist-high and about 10 feet long with vertical metal bars, will eventually be pushed toward the center of Las Vegas Boulevard, where police will maintain a lane that will be used by emergency vehicles and as a regrouping area for officers.

Police will use more barricades this year after spotting a flaw in the system last year.

"In the past we ran the barricades in a solid line from north to south down the street," Zagorski said. "We found that we'd get bottlenecks with people wanting to get across to the other side of the street, so we are going to set up some pathways running east and west at some intersections."

Officers will be broken down into 21 divisions that will patrol different sections of Las Vegas Boulevard and will begin filtering down to the Strip around 6 p.m. Riot gear and gas masks will be available to officers if needed.

Officers will be working 12-hour shifts starting Dec. 31, and officers will continue operating on a 12-hour-on, 12-hour-off schedule until crowds subside, police said.

Paramedics will be stationed at various points along Las Vegas Boulevard, and so will corrections officers with buses ready to take those arrested to the Clark County Jail for a New Year's Day visit.

Along with crowd control on Las Vegas Boulevard, Metro will deploy about 75 officers at the Fremont Street Experience, and another 30 around downtown.

While officers are working downtown and on Las Vegas Boulevard, the Nevada Highway Patrol will help pick up calls for service around the valley.

The planned fireworks show along Las Vegas Boulevard and under the cover at the Fremont Street Experience could be a help to authorities, Zagorski said.

"It kind of sets a timeline for the night and gives people something to do at midnight," Zagorski said. "It kind of caps it off and gives them the idea that it's time to head home."