LV prepares for celebration

Jace Radke

Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2003 | 11:22 a.m.

Las Vegas is gearing up for tonight's New Year's celebration with temporary flight restrictions, armed military helicopters and the activation of National Guard soldiers even though officials say there are no specific terrorist threats against the city.

Nevada Homeland Security Director Jerry Bussell was on the phone early this morning with officials from the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI, who reported that there is still no information of specific terrorist threats against Las Vegas.

"We have taken all the precautions we can and left no stone unturned," Bussell said. "Now it's time to rely on those who are trained to protect us and go out and enjoy New Year's."

Hundreds of police officers will be on the Las Vegas Strip and at the Fremont Street Experience tonight as more than 300,000 people are expected to ring in the New Year.

Metro Police officials are preparing for anything and are working with state and federal agencies to boost security because of Las Vegas' potential as a terrorist target. Las Vegas has been mentioned in communications intercepted by the United States' counterterrorism efforts.

Federal officials have recently been checking to see if people who use rental agencies, airlines and hotels are on terror watch lists, but FBI officials reiterated that there are still no specific threats against Las Vegas.

Security remains the top concern at McCarran International Airport where about 100 Nevada Army National Guard soldiers were assigned this morning to McCarran International Airport, Nevada Army Guard spokeswoman April Conway said.

"They will be armed and will work in shifts with about 30 on duty at a time," Conway said.

Three Army Guard helicopters, two CH-47 Chinook transport copters and one MedEvac UH-60 Blackhawk will also be in Las Vegas and available for use.

Sheriff Bill Young said that the Guard helicopters will be joined by armed attack helicopters from out of state. The additional helicopters will be U.S. Customs Blackhawks used for border enforcement and normally equipped with two 7.62 mm machine guns, sources close to New Year's security planning said.

"The aircraft will be able to disrupt or dismantle any ground attacks ... and aircraft that come into the airspace," Young said. "The helicopters were offered by the Department of Homeland Security, and will be deployed to several cities."

Young requested temporary flight restrictions over Las Vegas tonight, and the Department of Homeland Security decided to enforce restrictions beginning at 8 p.m. and lasting until 3 a.m.

The restrictions create a no-fly zone radiating out 11.5 miles from the airport in all directions prohibiting media and tour helicopters, private planes and general aviation aircraft from flying over the Strip. A second set of restrictions extends 23 miles out from the airport creating a zone where general aviation aircraft can fly, but only under the strict control of the FAA.

The restrictions mean that McCarran will not be able to allow private planes to land or take off for the duration of the restrictions.

No-fly zones were also planned for Chicago, New York and Washington as well as the Disney theme parks and sites of major sporting events.

Anyone violating flight restrictions could face military aircraft that would escort any violators out of the restricted area. Penalties for violating a temporary flight restriction range from a fine to pilot license revocation depending on the circumstances, FAA spokesman Don Walker said.

Commercial airline security will be handled by the Transportation Security Administration and air marshals, Bussell said.

The no-fly zone is one of the precautions being taken in the wake of reports of possible terror activity, including a Washington Post story stating that Air France flights from Paris to Los Angeles may have been part of a hijacking plot aimed at Las Vegas or other cities.

Local, state and federal authorities disputed that report and continue to say there are no specific threats against Las Vegas.

"Our plan remains pretty much unchanged," Young said. "There are some additions like the no-fly zone and the helicopters that we can disclose, and there are some that we won't disclose.

"If there are bad guys in town we don't want them to know all our tricks."

Young said he has lost sleep over the last week as he coordinates the annual Metro Police New Year's security plan while working with state and federal authorities because of the national terror alert.

"It's a big responsibility and things like the no-fly zone are big calls to make," said Young, who added he has found himself waking up at 2 a.m. and being unable to get back to sleep. "Obviously the police department's focus is on prevention and preparing for our window of concern, which I believe to be New Year's Eve to New Year's Day."

Hotels are expected to be 99.1 percent full for tonight's celebration that includes a midnight fireworks display and the closing of the Strip to vehicles when the crowds start to spill off the sidewalks.

Metro Police will rely on 3 1/2-foot-high metal barricades, horses and about 1,000 police and corrections officers to control the crowds on the Strip. About 300 officers will be at the Fremont Street Experience.

In all about 1,900 Metro Police officers and 600 corrections officers will be working through New Year's Eve and into New Year's Day. The Nevada Highway Patrol has also called in an additional 50 troopers from other parts of the state to assist with traffic control and to check trucks coming into Las Vegas.

As in past years, North Las Vegas and Henderson Police will be assisting Metro patrol officers on calls for service around town to help free up Metro officers for duty on the Strip.

Young said that Nellis Air Force Base will be on standby today and into tomorrow, but he would not elaborate on what the base's role may be. Nellis officials declined comment, saying only that the capabilities of the base are well known.

Nellis is the home of several F-16 fighters and other attack aircraft.

Authorities are asking that backpacks, satchels and large bags not be brought to the Strip or to the Fremont Street Experience. Anyone carrying these types of bags will be subject to searches by Metro officers, police said.

As in past years, cans and bottles are banned from the celebration.

The Strip will eventually be shut down to automobile traffic from Russell Road to Sahara Avenue, and off-ramps from Interstate 15 to Las Vegas Boulevard between Russell and Sahara will also be closed as the crowd grows. Instead of blocking some access points with flares and police motorcycles, barricades will be used at some intersections this year.

The emergency operations center at the Clark County Government Center will, as usual, be the downtown command post for Metro Police and other local authorities Wednesday night and Thursday morning. Metro will also have high-ranking officials at the department's 911 center,

The FBI's local emergency operations center has been staffed and running since Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge moved the security level from yellow to orange. Metro Police will be working with the FBI at the center sharing any intelligence information, Young said.

Police will also be working with security at the casinos and utilizing their high-tech video monitoring equipment, Young said.

At Hoover Dam vehicle checks have been stepped up on the Nevada and Arizona sides of the structure. Boat patrols are upstream and downstream of the dam on the Colorado River, and tractor-trailers, full-size buses and large recreational vehicles continue to be banned from crossing the dam. Additional searches of vehicles and added security patrols are also visible at McCarran.

Terrorism has been linked to Las Vegas in the past, with five of the hijackers involved in the Sept. 11 attacks visiting Las Vegas during the summer of 2001. Also, alleged members of a terrorist sleeper cell who were arrested in Detroit reportedly had videotape of the MGM Grand and Disneyland.