LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Less crime tape and more conversation.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police are using data and community trust to decrease violence in the area of University Center and Twain.
In 40 square miles, Metro’s South Central Area Command holds over 200 apartment complexes and 300,000 people, according to Captain Landon Reyes.
It also holds a shopping center on the northeast corner, which saw two shootings within just over two weeks between late April and Mid-May.
One of the shootings diverted a planned peace walk nearby.
“It’s unfortunate, but I think it also describes the need for the community to come together in that area,” Reyes said.
Reyes said he’s using five years worth of data showing where and when violent crimes occurred to help inform how officers patrol in and around the shopping center.
“When you shift-adjust those people and put the resources in the right place, we’ve already seen a drastic reduction of crime in that area,” Reyes said.
Despite the two non-fatal shootings, data from Metro Police shows so far in 2025 there have been no homicides in the area around the shopping center, compared to 2024 which saw five.
Reyes said data is only one piece of his plan.
Every month, he plans to meet with groups and businesses in and around the shopping center.
“They can tell me about all their concerns and all their complaints and everything that we might not see,” he said.
Balm of Gilead Global Ministries opened up in the University Center and Twain shopping center nearly 10 years ago.
“There’s been some major, major issues. There have been fights, there’s been shootings, there’s been stabbings,” said Senior Pastor and Founder, Michael Hatch.
Hatch said he’s using his own criminal past to minister to the community.
“I was involved heavily in the Panamanian cartel,” Hatch said. “The things that I went through, the stuff that I was involved in, that was really, really bad. I understand completely the mindset, so I know where to touch them.”
On top of attending Metro’s monthly meetings, Hatch said he and Reyes have outreach efforts planned, specifically targeting the children who call the South Central Area Command home.
“Kids do what they see. I don’t care what you say. They do what they see, and so we want to set an example for them,” Hatch said.
Down the road, Reyes said he’d also like to change name of the University Center and Twain intersection, repave the streets, add lighting, and plant more trees.
While the plan comes to fruition, businesses can reach out to South Central Area Command to ask for an assessment from a Crime Prevention Specialist.
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