Columnist Jeff German: New faces take on old problems

Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2003 | 11:10 a.m.

Fighting terrorism in Las Vegas continues to present challenges for law enforcement authorities.

You don't have to travel very far along the Strip to see that there's no consistency among the casinos in dealing with the threat.

Each hotel has its own standards for protecting its guests, and no one in law enforcement has bothered to come up with any uniform measures for the properties to follow.

It's all very hard to fathom considering that one act of terrorism is all it takes to ruin the city's image as a top international tourism destination.

Weak links in our counterterrorism plan were addressed in this space three months ago. So there's no need to rehash them.

But since that column, little has been done to ease those concerns, while Justice Department officials continue to issue daily terrorism alerts from Washington.

No one doubts the commitment of the casinos to protect their guests. Some properties just are willing to spend more money and devote more resources than others.

But there's a new sheriff in town, Bill Young, who was sworn into office on Monday.

The 46-year-old Young has a prime opportunity to change some attitudes on this front. As a deputy chief, Young was responsible for devising the Metro Police Department's homeland security plan. So we know he has a strong interest in counterterrorism.

He's also bringing enthusiasm to his new job. You could see it in his eyes as he took his oath on the steps of City Hall on a windy morning in front of his wife and four kids, his friends on the department and a horde of elected officials.

Afterwards Young told reporters that he wants to make Las Vegas the "safest tourism community in America."

They were the right words to say, and hopefully they'll lead to uniformity on the Strip in the fight against terrorism.

Maybe someone this excited about his new job will be able to persuade the casinos to look at the bigger picture in a matter so crucial to the well-being of the community -- before it's too late.

District Attorney David Roger was so excited about his new job that he came to work at 7:30 a.m. Monday, about 90 minutes before his swearing-in at the courthouse.

"It's not overwhelming, but I certainly appreciate the important task that I've been given by the voters," he said afterwards.

The 41-year-old Roger has an opportunity to pay back the voters by helping unclog the local justice system.

He can start by stepping up the role of his office in getting the still-unfinished Regional Justice Center, which is supposed to relieve the strain on the system, to open its doors.

Roger said he plans to attend weekly courthouse meetings on the progress of the 17-story facility, which is millions in the red and more than a year behind schedule.

But the new DA will have to do more than show up for meetings to light a fire under the project's general contractor, AF Construction.

He'll have to make it clear that he has legal avenues available to persuade the company to either finish the job or step aside to allow another general contractor to take over.

That's something that would excite the voters.