Police to beef up presence on Strip New Year’s Eve

Jace Radke

Friday, Dec. 28, 2001 | 9:59 a.m.

Those planning on ringing in the New Year on the Las Vegas Strip can count on seeing pyrotechnics, partiers and plenty of police.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is estimating 282,000 visitors over the holiday weekend, and Metro Police are expecting the rowdy drunks and other New Year's problems have become routine at the annual exercise in crowd control.

As in years past, police will slowly shut down Las Vegas Boulevard as the crowd grows on Monday night, said officer Tirso Dominguez, a Metro spokesman.

"We don't know when we'll have it completely shut down to traffic," Dominguez said. "There is a tremendous economic impact to the properties the longer it is closed. We'll close it as it becomes necessary."

In previous years police have begun closing the Strip about 9 p.m.

Along with the drunks, pole climbers and flashers, police will also be on the lookout for the possible threat of terrorism. Police will be looking for any backpacks or packages left unattended and for anything out of the ordinary, said Deputy Chief Mike Zagorski, who is in charge of Metro's patrol division.

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 about 75 officers at the Fremont Street Experience, and another 30 around downtown.

Police officials will also be staffing a normal shift throughout the rest of the city and county with the help of the Nevada Highway Patrol.

Police will not allow glass bottles or metal cans on Las Vegas Boulevard or at the Fremont Street Experience, and a curfew is set from 6 p.m. Monday to 5 a.m. Tuesday for children under 17 not accompanied by an adult.

Police say the LVCVA's $500,000 fireworks show should grab the crowd's attention for a few minutes at midnight. The pyrotechnics will be simultaneously launched from 15 locations from the Mandalay Bay to the Fremont Street Experience and will be choreographed to music, including "Auld Lang Syne" and "God Bless America."