NLV is taking a bite out of crime

Friday, Aug. 9, 2002 | 2:45 a.m.

WEEKEND EDITION: August 10, 2002

More than 30 percent of small-business failures directly relate to the effects of crime, ranging from burglary to fraud, according to recent studies by the National Sheriffs Association.

North Las Vegas Police are working to help local businesses avoid becoming a part of this statistic, with a new business watch program, but Police Chief Mark Paresi said the program's effectiveness will depend on the efforts of the participants.

"Business Watch is only as strong as the network you have," Paresi said to business owners at the program's first meeting recently.

The program is similar to neighborhood watch in that it bonds neighboring business owners together to reduce the occurrence of crime. Organizers hope North Las Vegas businesses will form alliances to watch out for each other by alerting police to criminal activity and by sharing financial fraud information with each other such as someone who is passing bad checks.

Program creator and Crime Prevention Specialist Jo Preston sent out letters this week to area businesses in hope that they will take advantage of the services they offer to prevent crime, such as graffiti removal and an in-office survey to suggest ways to better safeguard a business.

"They have to show interest before, so we can prevent them from being a victim of crime," Preston said. "Our job is prevention."

She's had more than 30 requests for information since the initial meeting July 18. Police officers met with about 25 local merchants at the Silver Mesa Recreation Center in North Las Vegas to tell them how they can prevent crime in their businesses and ask what more police can do to help.

"We work for the citizens of this city and we are responsible to you -- not the other way around," Assistant Chief of Police Joseph Forti said. "Let us know what we can do."

The head of every division within the police department was on hand to answer questions, as well as North Las Vegas City Council members.

"It shows that they are listening to us, that we are being heard," Kathy Stenberg, unit director for the North Las Vegas Boys and Girls Club, said.

Officers fielded questions about how to handle gangs, graffiti, vagrants and fraud, but a major concern of attendees was response time to an ongoing incident or to a robbery after the fact.

"Service and quality is something we are going to work on," Paresi, who joined the department in April, said.

City council members also promised to bring more police onto the force to improve response time, with seven new officers inducted July 22. The council members said the force needed 25 more.

"We are going to do whatever we can to make sure the chief has what he needs to build up the police force," Councilwoman Shari Buck said.

In the meantime, local merchants need to do whatever they can to prevent crime from happening in the first place, Paresi said.

He recommended they take advantage of the department's crime prevention by using the environmental design service. An officer will visit the business and make specific recommendations about how to improve safety -- such as enhancing outside lighting or adding additional locks or security features. Officers will also train employees on how to recognize suspicious behavior, handle disturbances or catch shoplifters.

Hickman Telecommunications owner Cheri Hickman was excited about the service, which she plans to use for her North Las Vegas company.

"I think one of the things I'd really like to do is have a police officer come in to talk to my front two girls," Hickman said at the meeting. "We get a lot of weird characters and I want them to know how to handle the situation."

Preston will be sending out a newsletter to all 1,000 North Las Vegas businesses in the next month in an attempt to get more companies involved in the program. The next meeting is tentatively set for November, as Preston acknowledged again that the program is only as strong as its participants.

"You can build the trough, fill it with water and take it to them," Preston said. "But it's up to the business owners to come to the meetings and show interest."