Police want bulky bags, strollers banned at big Strip events

By Jackie Valley

Tuesday, March 15, 2016 | 1 p.m.

Ahead of the Las Vegas Strip’s giant New Year’s Eve bash, Metro Police asked revelers to leave behind their bulky bags and strollers in the name of public safety.

The request came on the heels of the Paris terror attacks and a mass shooting in San Bernardino, Calif., that combined killed scores of people. The problem, police admitted, was that officers had no way of enforcing the ban.

“In a way, it was kind of a bluff,” said Chuck Callaway, Metro’s director of intergovernmental services.

Callaway this morning asked Clark County commissioners to adopt an ordinance banning strollers and bulky bags — except those made of see-through material — on the Strip during special events.

Small purses, no larger than 8 inches by 6 inches, would be permitted under the proposed ordinance, modeled after a National Football League policy, Callaway said. Officers could issue citations if people don’t cooperate with requests to take the banned items back to their hotel rooms or cars, he said.

Police don’t want to make it more difficult for parents to bring young children to the Strip, but strollers have been used to conceal dangerous items, so they were included in the draft ordinance, Callaway said after the meeting.

“We’re not looking at creating a new law that would allow us to arrest a bunch of people,” he said.

Commissioners expressed support for moving forward with the proposed ordinance as long as the ban is well publicized ahead of time.

“It will be tough to monitor, but as each year progresses, I think it will get better,” Commissioner Susan Brager said.

Commissioners directed county staff to prepare an updated draft ordinance that will be considered at a future meeting.