Police move New Year’s Eve command post to southwest Las Vegas
Southern Nevada law enforcement agencies are moving their New Year’s Eve command post.
Previously, the Metropolitan Police Department and other local agencies had used a Nevada Highway Patrol station for their command center, but Clark County Undersheriff Kevin McMahill announced Monday that data center operator Switch will host law enforcement this year.
“Southern Nevada public safety agencies have outgrown their current Strip command center,” McMahill said during a news conference at Rob Roy’s Innevation Center, near Decatur Boulevard and the 215 Beltway.
“After a lot of consideration, we decided moving here was an ideal solution, as it’s strategically located for public safety to monitor this event,” he said.
Metro expects more than 400,000 visitors during this year’s holiday, and McMahill said Strip hotels reported a 98 percent occupancy rate.
Setup and street closures on the Strip begin at 5 p.m. Dec. 31 and should be completed by 6:30 p.m., McMahill said. Glass bottles, coolers and backpacks are not permitted on the Strip during the event.
Federal, state and local law enforcement join forces every year to monitor and control activity on the Strip, including Metro, the U.S. Marshals Service, Department of Homeland Security, FBI and Secret Service.
“As we stand here today, there is no known specific, credible threat to Las Vegas or Southern Nevada,” McMahill said. “Rest assured, we are actively monitoring our threat streams with all of our partners to stay abreast of any indicators of nefarious activity.”
McMahill, along with Clark County Fire Chief Greg Cassell, Clark County Commissioner Michael Naft, Las Vegas City Councilwoman Michele Fiore and Gary Schofield, U.S. Marshal for the District of Nevada, attended the news conference to ask residents and partygoers to be responsible, as well as caution would-be lawbreakers to watch themselves on New Year’s Eve.
“You don’t come here if you’re going to break laws or raise Cain in any way, shape or form, because the guys in brown are going to be right in your business if you do,” Cassell said.
Anyone who spots suspicious activity is encouraged to report it to the counterterrorism center at 702-828-7777 or 311.
Contact Max Michor at mmichor@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0365. Follow @MaxMichor on Twitter.