Las Vegas police officers, volunteers stress Strip safety, homeless help

Law enforcement, faith groups, casino representatives and local homeless support organizations teamed up late Friday on the Las Vegas Strip to combat crime and assist the homeless.

Metropolitan Police Department officers split off into groups and led a walk along Las Vegas Boulevard as part of its Take Back the Las Vegas Strip event.

As a group of about 60 officers and 60 volunteers walked along Las Vegas Boulevard, Metro officers spoke with tourists and the homeless, and they handcuffed illegal street vendors.

Metro Capt. John Pelletier said the increased police presence could help deter street robberies and make would-be criminals “uncomfortable.”

“We just don’t want it here on the Strip,” Pelletier said. “Period.”

The organized walk along Las Vegas Boulevard was the first of its kind, said Pelletier, who oversees Metro’s Strip jurisdiction.

Among the many people taking part in the event were members of new police teams dedicated to making tourists feel safe on the Strip, Pelletier said.

The Safe Tourism Action Response Squads work on the Strip during its busiest days, often weekends and holidays, he said.

The squads joining the walk would help “set the tone” for the Presidents Day holiday weekend, Pelletier said.

“We’re just going to make sure that when people come, they don’t walk down the Strip without seeing a cop one way or another,” Pelletier said.

Among the many organizations with representatives walking with Metro officers was the Salvation Army, whose representatives sought to make connections with the homeless on Las Vegas Boulevard.

One man near the Paris Las Vegas accepted the Salvation Army’s help and was on his way to a shelter Friday night, said Ryan McDonald, the group’s homeless services coordinator.

“He’ll get a warm bed, and he can take a shower,” McDonald said.

But the goal wasn’t just helping him or others for the night, he said. The group will work with him to determine his individual needs going forward, McDonald said.

Another organization helping the homeless was HELP of Southern Nevada.

The group assisted one man and offered help to a handful of others, said Louis Lacey, a HELP official.

Group members hoped to establish relationships with the people they met and offer them the services they needed, including mental health or substance abuse services, he said.

“Everybody should have a place to stay,” Lacey said.

Contact Mike Shoro at mshoro@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290. Follow @mike_shoro on Twitter.