Area briefing
CORRECTIONS OFFICER RECRUITS HIRED AT AREA AGENCIES
Eight recruit corrections officers recently joined the ranks of law enforcement in Henderson and Las Vegas after graduating Nov. 9 from the Southern Desert Regional Police Academy.
Six of the officers will work for the Henderson Police Department and two will join the Las Vegas Department of Detention and Enforcement.
The graduation took place at the College of Southern Nevada's Henderson campus.
The recruit officers received academic and practical training on various topics, including ethics, criminal law, defensive tactics, firearms, principles of investigation, community policing and crisis intervention training during the 13-week academy.
The Henderson police recruit correction officers will now complete a 12-week field training program.
The Southern Desert Regional Police Academy is a partnership between the Henderson and North Las Vegas police departments and the College of Southern Nevada.
POLICE VOLUNTEER PROGRAM RECEIVES NATIONAL RECOGNITION
The Metropolitan Police Department's volunteer program was recently recognized by the International Association of Chiefs of Police for Outstanding Achievement in Law Enforcement Volunteer Programs.
The department was the only one in the U.S. to achieve the honor, which was presented Oct. 25 at the association's 118th annual conference and awards banquet in Chicago.
Assistant Sheriff Greg McCurdy and volunteer program manager Sharon Harding accepted the award on behalf of Sheriff Doug Gillespie.
Last year, Metropolitan Police Department volunteers donated about 135,000 hours of community service to Southern Nevada.
The department has about 470 volunteers. They assist with a variety of activities, including at seat belt enforcement checks; helping crime prevention specialists with the distribution of crime prevention materials at McCarran International Airport and at events; staffing community safety fairs; assisting investigators in tracking electronic crimes; searching for missing people; writing handicapped parking citations; installing locks in low-income senior housing; removing graffiti from public areas; assisting with maintenance duties at the department's mounted unit facility; assisting with traffic control at crime scenes and fatal traffic accidents; and staffing the reception desk at the department's headquarters.
Applicants to the volunteer program must be 18 or older and must be able to pass a background check. Training for team members is tailored to the specific task they are volunteering to perform.
For more information, visit lvmpd.com or call 828-3111.
THANKSGIVING CONSIDERED PEAK DAY FOR HOME COOKING FIRES
The number of home cooking fires on Thanksgiving Day was three times the national average of fires per day in 2009, according the National Fire Protection Association.
Fire hazards around the oven or stove top can easily be overlooked due to hosts entertaining guests and multitasking, said Lorraine Carli, vice president of communications for the NFPA.
Cooking fires in general are the No. 1 cause of home fires and related injuries, NFPA officials said.
To reduce the risk of cooking fires this holiday, the NFPA recommends the following tips:
Keep anything that can catch fire, such as oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains, away from the stove top.
Always stay in the kitchen while frying, grilling or broiling food. If you have to leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove.
When simmering, baking, roasting, or boiling food, check it regularly, remain in the home while it is cooking and use a timer to remind you when food is ready.
If you are sleepy or have consumed alcohol, don't use the stove or stove top.
If a cooking fire occurs:
Evacuate the premises, closing the door behind you to help contain the fire.
Call 911 or the local emergency number after you leave.
If you try to fight the fire, be sure others are getting out and you have a clear path to your way out of the home. Be sure that someone has called the fire department.
Keep a lid nearby when cooking to smother small grease fires. Smother the fire by sliding the lid over the pan and turn off the stove top. Leave the pan covered until it is completely cooled.
For an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the door closed.
For more information, visit nfpa.org.
CONSTRUCTION ON PORTION OF LAS VEGAS BELTWAY TO IMPROVE TRAFFIC FLOW
Construction is planned on a northern section of the Las Vegas Beltway between Tenaya Way and Decatur Boulevard to transform the stretch of road into a nonstop, four-lane freeway.
The project is to take about 2 years to complete. Drivers should expect periodic lane and road closures, city of Las Vegas officials said.
As part of the project, new highway interchanges will be built at Jones and Decatur boulevards, and a new bridge will carry Bradley Road over the freeway.
When finished, commuters can expect to see improved traffic flow across the northern Las Vegas Beltway as there will be more than seven miles of nonstop freeway from just east of U.S. Highway 95 to Losee Road, city officials said.
HENDERSON POLICE SEEK SUSPECT ACCUSED OF CVS PHARMACY ROBBERIES
The Henderson Police Department is seeking the public's help to identify a suspect accused of robbing several CVS Pharmacies recently.
In the most recent robbery, the suspect entered a CVS at 1402 E. Lake Mead Parkway at about 9:30 p.m. Oct. 25, police said. The suspect went to the pharmacy department, walked behind the counter and pointed a handgun at the pharmacy manager, demanding that the narcotics safe be opened, according to police. The suspect is accused of taking numerous bottles of prescription medications and cash from the registers.
The suspect put the medication bottles in a white plastic grocery bag and exited the store through an emergency exit, police said.
The suspect is described as a white male, 25 to 30 years old, about 5-foot-10 to 6 feet and weighing about 240 pounds. The suspect wore a black baseball cap, a black T-shirt, jean shorts and tennis shoes, police said.
The same suspect is accused of similar robberies at CVS locations at 1551 W. Sunset Road on Sept. 10 and 1900 W. Sunset Road on June 9.
Anyone with information is urged to call the Henderson Police Department at 267-4750. To remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers of Nevada at 385-5555 or visit crimestoppersofnv.com. Tips leading directly to an arrest or an indictment processed through Crime Stoppers may result in a cash reward.
SEWER WORK UNDER WAY ON FOX LAKE AVENUE AND CASCADE RIVER STREET
The Clark County Water Reclamation District is scheduled to conduct a sewer rehabilitation project through at least Dec. 9 on Fox Lake Avenue and Cascade River Street.
Roughly 70 feet of pipeline will be replaced, and two manholes will be rehabilitated during the project, which began Nov. 14.
Travel lanes on Fox Lake Avenue and Cascade River Street will be affected while crews install new sewer line, rehabilitate manholes, install a temporary bypass sewer system and remove existing infrastructure, district officials said.
Work will take place from 6:30 a.m. through 3 p.m., with lane restrictions 24 hours a day to protect trenches and the bypass sewer lines.
For more information, call the project hot line at 668-8668, or visit thelvpipeline.com.
