LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Las Vegas Metropolitan Police are ramping up Strip patrols for Memorial Day weekend with an “all hands on deck” staffing approach, dispatching as many officers as possible throughout Las Vegas Boulevard for added visibility and increased presence.
FOX5 has spoken to Captain Stephen Connell about his ongoing strategy to boost police visibility across the Strip, all to tackle a crucial goal throughout the past two years: stamp out crime and make the Strip feel safer as well as be safer.
Since late 2022, when Connell was appointed by Sheriff Kevin McMahill to oversee Strip enforcement, Connell said the new leader of Metro Police made Strip safety a priority.
“In 2023, when the new Sheriff came in, he prioritized safety on the tourist corridors. We’re almost doing better now than we were last year. It’s a combination of cooperation with the resorts, increase in foot patrols, the operations that we’re running out of Convention Center [Area Command], so we look to just keep getting better and keep having those declines going forward,” Connell said.
Violent and nonviolent crimes continue to see double-digit decreases.
Year-to-Date 2023 to 2024 statistics:
-67% Homicides
-45% Robberies
-40% Aggravated Assaults
-36% Burglaries
-54% Motor Vehicle Thefts
-14% Thefts
Two-to-three-person teams have been tasked to maintain an “omnipresence” on various pedestrian bridges. Connell said his team recently arrested 20 pickpocketers, groups from Central America and Eastern Europe, who targeted tourists on the stairways.
Some have now been deported, Connell said. Now that violent crime has significantly decreased, Connell tells FOX5 that his team can zero in on issues surrounding property crimes.
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