LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Las Vegas is the entertainment capital of the world, and is now on its way to becoming the sports capital.
With all the events set to happen, it will bring millions of people to the city.
“November is done, we have an election, we have FEMA, F1 and downtown Neon City Festival,” Jonathan Alvarez, CEO of Protective Force International (PFI) said.
Alvarez tells FOX5, his officers are armed and ready for the busy month ahead.
His teams conduct firearm training at ranges in the desert regularly through a virtual reality system.
They then bring that training back to the casino on and off the Strip.
“Just because you are a veteran or prior law enforcement doesn’t necessarily qualify you for just having a firearm and being on our team patrolling and augmenting casinos, we want to make sure we have the right team in place when an emergency happens they can act accordingly and be at the right place at the right time,” Alvarez said.
PFI is currently partnered with 18 casinos however, FOX5 will not be naming them due to safety reasons.
Alvarez tells FOX5, though there is a need for armed security officers, costs might be a big hurdle for some casinos.
“Sometimes when casinos are smaller they can’t provide their own resources to start up the program it is a very expensive program to start,” Alvarez said. “Some of the casinos already have existing armed capacities and we augment those on heavy event weekends.”
The need for armed security was evident back in August when there was a stabbing spree at Red Rock Casino.
It was an armed security official who stopped the suspect.
“It’s very rare but when it occurs it’s a perfect example of what a security force that is trained and armed should do in a casino,” Alvarez said.
While their team is out, they also have their eyes on other parts of the valley through their dispatch center. The center uses thermal imaging for its surveillance systems.
“They are trained to look at that heat signature and zoom it in, could be a cat, or dog or somebody,” Alvarez said. “If we can catch it before or when it starts and deploy teams and make the area safer then we are already way ahead of the game.”
Alvarez said the county asked the company if it could deploy camera systems and patrol polling centers on Election Day.
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