79°F
weather icon Clear

BC officers help ensure New Year’s celebrations remained safe

Several Boulder City Police officers joined thousands of officers from other agencies to help protect people who celebrated New Year’s Eve on the Strip.

Among those patrolling that night were the city’s mounted officer Scott Pastore and his horse Odie as well as Sgt. Craig Tomao.

“It was a lot of presence, prevention and moving people,” Pastore said.

He said he and Odie walked along the street and helped keep people from going over the barriers as well as helped disperse crowds and investigate suspicious activity.

“I could see above the crowds on the horse. … There were a couple of suspicious calls that ended up being nothing,” he said.

Pastore said they also had to help move people out of different areas on the Strip when it was time to reopen the streets.

“I enjoy it and I like it and it gives Odie good exposure. … He was a rock star,” Pastore said.

It was Tomao’s sixth time helping on the Strip on New Year’s Eve. He was in plain clothes and working countersurveillance for the Southern Nevada Counter Terrorism Center. The SNCTC is Metropolitan Police Department’s 24/7 all-crimes and all-hazards fusion center. It responds to incidents within Clark County.

Tomao’s partner for the evening was fellow Boulder City Police officer Chris Slack.

“We were looking for suspicious activity,” Tomao said.

If they saw anything like that or noticed people with items that were forbidden on the Strip, they would notify a Metro officer.

“We were able to blend into the background and make sure no one snuck up on the officers. … They have to have people in plain clothes,” he said. “It’s integral to keeping people safe.”

Boulder City’s two K-9 officers, Armando Salazar and Alan Nutzman, also helped with law enforcement on the Strip.

According to Boulder City Police Chief Tim Shea, every law enforcement agency in the region participated.

“We responded to a mutual aid request to assist with the policing at one of the largest attended events in the nation. … The goal was to have sufficient law enforcement personnel to prevent as much as possible a tragic occurrence reminiscent of Oct. 1, 2017, and other such events around the world,” he said.

Pastore said officers from the Los Angeles Police Department and California Highway Patrol were there.

“We’re one of the major targets in the country,” he said.

More than 1,500 Metropolitan Police Department officers patrolled the Strip and Fremont Street. Members of the FBI, Nevada National Guard and Clark County Sheriff’s Office were also on hand.

The Las Vegas Visitors and Convention Authority estimated a 3 percent jump in tourism from 2017 with 318,000 tourists traveling to Las Vegas for New Year’s Eve. Police prepared for the approximate 375,000 people — including locals — who converged on the Strip.

“Augmenting the hundreds of personnel assigned over several days, we sent eight over the period of the event,” Shea said. “The event period extends beyond just the evening of the 31st. The operational assignments and specific staff make up is confidential until the conclusion of the event and, in fact, may change up to the time of scheduled deployments.”

Review-Journal reporters Jessie Bekker and Kimber Laux contributed to this report.

Contact reporter Celia Shortt Goodyear at cgoodyear@bouldercityreview.com or at 702-586-9401. Follow her on Twitter @csgoodyear.

MOST READ
THE LATEST
BC welcomes city manager

Boulder City’s new City Manager Ned Thomas chose an auspicious day to start his new job. No, that is not a reference to April 15 as Tax Day, but it is about finances.

Pickleball courts break ground at Veterans Park

For those who enjoy pickleball, work began this week on new, designated courts for one of the country’s most widely-played sports.

City seeks state PERS law carve-out

If you thought that the pace of state legislation in Nevada — a state with a part-time legislature that meets only every other year — would be a slow stroll rather than a break-neck run, you might be surprised to find out that there are well over 1,000 bills being considered at some level in this session.

Rollin’ on the river

Spring is a good time to enjoy Lake Mead National Recreation Area, which includes guided tours of a 13-mile stretch from Hoover Dam to Willow Beach aboard Hoover Dam Rafting Adventures, which has been in operation for more than 40 years. The three-hour tour includes a narration on construction of the dam as well as unique aspects of the river and canyon.

BCHS, CCSD named in lawsuit after altercation

A parent has filed a lawsuit against both Boulder City High School and the Clark County School District, alleging that both were negligent in protecting her son from an altercation with other students two years ago.

Living costs, inflation cited as challenges

“Full disclosure,” Jennifer Hedland, the community resource liaison (CRL) said as she began to present the city council with an annual report in its meeting this week.