Regents briefs for Jan. 30, 2004

Friday, Jan. 30, 2004 | 9:47 a.m.

Plan to acquire land OK'd

University regents unanimously approved a plan Thursday for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas to work with the city of North Las Vegas to acquire federal land for a new regional campus.

The North Las Vegas City Council had approved a plan to develop the 640 acres of Bureau of Land Management land in conjunction with the university at a meeting last week.

The land, which will originally be leased for about $2 an acre, will allow UNLV to expand beyond its Maryland Parkway campus, which has no room for growth.

The university has set aside $700,000 to develop a master plan for the land.

Regents also approved the purchase of 3.8 acres of land on East Naples Drive on the western perimeter of the campus for a new parking lot. The land will cost more than $2 million to purchase and another $1.87 million to demolish the old apartment buildings on the parcel and construct the lot.

Crime analysis center approved

Regents also approved a new Center for the Analysis of Crime Statistics at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

The center will serve as a "clearinghouse for crime and justice data," Ray Alden, UNLV executive vice president and provost, said.

The federal Bureau of Justice Statistics has supported creation of such centers for the last 30 years under the belief that criminal justice policy should be informed by empirical research.

Nevada became one of the last states to develop a statistical analysis center when the 2003 Legislature unanimously passed a bill to open a center at UNLV.

The center will help influence criminal and judicial policy by compiling information on offenses and arrests, charges and case disposition, and information on probation, parole and prison populations, Alden said.