Police lead Back the Boulevard initiative on Las Vegas Strip

Three weeks into his new position heading the Metropolitan Police Department’s convention center area command, Capt. Dori Koren led hundreds of officers and volunteers from more than 35 organizations down the Strip on Saturday night.

The goal was not only to deter crime and help people — such as those experiencing homelessness or caught in human trafficking — but to look ahead to what will be a busy year for the main tourist destination in the Las Vegas Valley, Koren said.

“We are extremely fortunate to be in Las Vegas at this time,” he said. “It is probably the fastest-growing city, or definitely one of the fastest-growing cities, in the country. The projects we have set up for 2020 as a community are just absolutely remarkable.”

The Back the Boulevard initiative, which started under a different name in February 2018, saw hundreds of Las Vegas officers and volunteers walk down sidewalks on both sides of the Strip to speak with tourists and offer resources to the homeless.

Organizations that took part in the event included Clark County social services, HELP of Southern Nevada, county emergency services, the Southern Nevada Human Trafficking Task Force and the Rape Crisis Center of Southern Nevada.

Koren said he now plans to hold the walk twice a year.

County Commissioner Michael Naft, whose district covers the southern portion of the Las Vegas Strip, walked beside Koren as they headed south down the boulevard. Two members of Metro’s mounted unit rode horses next to the group, and traffic officers in bright-yellow shirts led the way on bicycles.

Naft said he came out Saturday night with all of the county’s services because the Strip is the “lifeline in Southern Nevada.”

He told reporters he was “making sure that I’m doing everything I can to protect this area and making sure that we’re providing the resources.”

Koren, who about three weeks ago was promoted from a lieutenant in Metro’s technical operations section to captain of the area command that covers the Strip, addressed the officers and volunteers before the walk. He told the crowd he wanted his officers to be ready for events in 2020, including the NFL Draft and opening of Allegiant Stadium.

As the changes to the Las Vegas skyline are accompanied with a new slogan for the city, Koren added his own take on the phrase.

“I’d like to add to that slogan a little bit, which is, ‘What happens here is up to all of us,’” he said. “We need to come together to make sure that Las Vegas Boulevard certainly remains the safest, securest and most successful tourist destination in the world.”

Before the walk, Naft expressed his confidence in Koren.

“Capt. Koren is better than anybody else,” he said. “I’ve known his for 15 years, and I sleep better at night knowing he’s in charge of the convention center area command.”

A previous version of this story incorrectly reported Capt. Dori Koren’s name.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.