LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Las Vegas city marshals are taking to the streets to make the Arts District safer.
This comes after business owners asked city leaders and Las Vegas police what more could be done for the area after several break-ins.
During an Arts District Safety Coalition meeting last month, the city promised two city marshals would be dedicated to the area.
They are delivering on that promise, dedicating two members of their Problem Oriented Policing Team to the Arts District.
They are expanding the POP Team over from Fremont, after the Lt. Timothy Mullins says they got positive feedback from businesses in the area.
“We thought expanding it down here would be what’s needed to address the concerns of these business owners,” Lt. Mullins, who’s overseeing operations on Fremont and the Arts District, says.
Lt. Mullins says Metro is aware of the new team, and can contact them for assistance, if they aren’t able to respond to a call quickly.
“We can help them during those select times when they actually can’t come out here and respond, we would say within 10 minutes. If it’s in excess of 10 minutes, then oftentimes they will call us so we can get out there,” Lt. Mullins says.
The team will be in the Arts District Tuesday through Friday, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
They’ll start their day by sweeping the area in their patrol cars, and will then visit businesses on foot, with the goal of building relationships with owners.
“We want them to feel that they can come to us if they have an issue, without feeling like, ‘oh the cops are not going to listen to me, they’re just going to take the call and do nothing about it,’” City Marshal and POP Team member Carla Espinoza says.
Esther’s Kitchen Director of Operations Keith Bracewell says he’s already gotten feedback from customers that they feel safer, after the team was deployed just two weeks ago.
“Feeling comfortable parking here, walking around, traveling several blocks without feeling like they’re going to get harassed or in any danger,” Bracewell says.
Karol Rodriguez is the co-owner of Iwana Coffee. She says it’s easy to contact the team if they’re having issues.
“We want to keep our customers safe, that’s the main reason,” Rodriguez says.
But, building relationships with the homeless population in the area is equally as important as their relationships with the businesses, the team says.
“We get to know them, we’re like, ‘hey, what’s going on? We see that you’re either sleeping or eating on the ground, how can we assist you? Are you aware of the shelters? Have you been to the shelter? Can we give you a ride?’” City Marshal and POP Team member Janelle Mazza says.
There are plans to grow the POP Team to four marshals in a couple of weeks.
At that time, two will be dedicated to Fremont, and two will be dedicated to the Arts District, although their assignments can vary depending on need.
City marshals on the team hand out their direct numbers to businesses, but they can also be reached by contacting the city’s Department of Public Safety at 702-229-6444.
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