Metro: Violent crime up slightly on Las Vegas Strip compared to last year

By Dylan Scott

Friday, Dec. 17, 2010 | 1:55 a.m.

Compared to last year, violent crime on the Las Vegas Strip has seen a slight uptick but homicides are down, according a recent crime report given to the Paradise Town Advisory Board.

On Tuesday, the town board received an update on crime statistics and on the activities of the Convention Center Area Command from Metro Police Capt. Charles Hank.

Hank presented a number of crime statistics for the Strip: Violent crimes were up slightly, 527 in 2009 compared to 567 so far in 2010. He noted that there have been two fewer homicides -- three versus five.

Burglaries were down to 1,875 from 2,500 last year, he said.

He also detailed some of his officers’ responsibilities, which in addition to patrolling for and responding to crimes include dealing with smut peddlers and street performers.

The borders of the Convention Center Area Command are Sahara Avenue to the north, Russell Road to the south, Interstate 15 to the west and UNLV and McCarran International Airport to the east. The area command has been in operation since late 2008.

Metro is working to make the Strip “the safest tourist destination in the world,” Hank said. The unit’s goals are to increase police visibility in the resort corridor, educate the security teams for Strip resorts and encourage the public to get involved with the “See Something, Say Something” campaign to thwart potential terrorist threats.

In general, Hank said, the Strip is a safe place: with 2.5 million visitors coming each year, the crime statistics show most people visit with no incident. Overall, Hank said he is satisfied with the effect his unit has had in its relatively short time in existence but work remains to be done.

Several challenges confront the Convention Center area command.

For starters, the mentality of “What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas” leaves visitors feeling free to do whatever they want, Hank said. As nightclubs and pools make alcohol increasingly easily accessible, pedestrians are increasingly intoxicated.

“We have a saying: ‘Grey Goose makes things get loose,’” Hank said, “and people do things they wouldn’t normally do.”

He cited binge drinking in detailing a bump in reports of sexual assault: 216 in 2010 versus 204 in 2009. Because most assaults occur in hotel rooms instead of back alleys or abandoned bathrooms as some might suspect, Hank said Metro is asking hotel security to make contact with out-of-control guests instead of letting them leave.

As for the “smut peddlers” -- sometimes 20 to a corner, handing out fliers for outcall services -- Hank said their bosses have exploited a technicality in Clark County code that puts fewer restrictions on “outcall service providers,” which are legally distinct from “escort services” or others.

Metro is working with the Clark County Commission to tighten the code’s loopholes, Hank said.

“We’re very limited in what we can do,” he said, lamenting that, in some cases, it has been proven that organized prostitution is in place on the Strip. “That’s a real stickler for me.”

Other nuisances include vendors selling water bottles on the street -- Hank said Metro collected 3,000 coolers in the last year -- and street performers such as the “Man Whore,” who, as his name suggests, dresses in drag and poses for pictures with mostly female visitors.

In the case of street performers, Metro has been told that, as long as they are not obstructing the right-of-way, they are allowed to take up residence on the sidewalks as part of their constitutional rights, Hank said.

Another important function of the unit is to be vigilant about the possibility of a terrorist attack. Although Hank stressed that there have been no specific threats toward Las Vegas, he added that there has been chatter encouraging attacks styled after the 2008 attack in Mumbai that killed more than 170 people.

Las Vegas, with its abundance of tourists and open hotel settings, would seem like a similar target, he explained.

To combat any potential threat, Hank said Metro is expanding its technological capabilities, including the use of global positioning systems and other projects that Hank said he would not disclose. Police also are holding regular meetings with hotel security.

The increased police presence is also supposed to deter would-be criminals: Hank said at least 20 officers, usually more, are in uniform and on the Strip every night. Another 20 or so are in plain clothes.

And Hank encouraged the public to do its part. As part of its “See Something, Say Something” campaign, Metro has established a tip line: 702-828-8386. No incident or detail is too small.

“We realize we can’t do this by ourselves,” he said.