LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s Life Squad has made more than 28,000 traffic stops since its creation last fall, targeting dangerous drivers at high-fatality intersections across the valley.
Fox 5 reporter Jaclyn Schultz and photographer Eric Green followed the unit during a recent ride-along near Lamb Boulevard and Charleston Boulevard, where officers pulled over multiple red light runners, a DUI driver in a school zone and vehicles with no registration or insurance.
MORE ON FOX5: Las Vegas police credit ramped-up road enforcement for drop in fatal crashes
“It didn’t take long to pull the first couple of people over because people see a red light and they see it as an opportunity,” Green said.
DUI arrest in school zone
Within 30 minutes of arriving at a stakeout location off Bonanza Road, officers pulled over and arrested a driver for DUI; speed detectors clocked the driver going 51 mph in a school zone at 3:30 p.m., shortly after school dismissal.
“The officers realized this person is clearly intoxicated, and pulled them over and arrested them for DUI,” Schultz said. “It was way too easy” to find these dangerous drivers, Schultz said.
Vehicles towed for violations
Officers also towed vehicles during the operation, including one car whose driver had no valid license, registration or insurance; the driver was caught running a red light.
“If they did not tow that vehicle, what’s to say that driver couldn’t just wait a couple hours and then just come back and get in that vehicle?” Schultz said.
Metro recently expanded its tow policy, which seizes vehicles from drivers considered a risk to public safety.
LIFE Squad results
The LIFE Squad, which stands for Lives Improved, Fatalities Eliminated, has recorded significant enforcement numbers since September (numbers through April 7):
- more than 28,000 traffic stops
- more than 32,000 citations
- around 1,200 vehicles towed
- 506 arrests
- 142 DUI arrests
The enforcement effort coincides with a 20% drop in traffic fatalities across Nevada.
The unit focuses on high-fatality and high-collision areas during rush hour periods, using data from the previous three years to determine deployment locations.
“They’re tying this to the dramatic decrease in fatalities that we are seeing on the roads,” Schultz said.
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