By: Las Vegas Now Staff
Fighting the war against drugs and prostitution is a challenge for business owners in Downtown Las Vegas. Now they have a new way to fight back.
A lot of people on the street admit to seeing drug deals go down just about every day. But business owners say, even though they still see it, things have definitely improved. Armed with a new tool, they're hoping it will get even better.
21-year-old Pamela Fox doesn't always know who's lurking outside the front door of her workplace, U.S.A. Hostels — but she does know they're sometimes up to no good.
“We have a lot of people around these streets selling drugs and stealing,” said Fox.
Metro surveillance cameras that hang overhead have caught hundreds of prostitution and drug deals on tape. By watching from their eye in the sky, they've been able to arrest hundreds, which have helped clean up Downtown.
But they're not stopping there. Metro officers and some downtown business owners walked business to business, signing people up for their DOAP program, or Direct Officer Access Phone.
Any time a business employee see drugs or prostitution, they call a private number which connects them directly to an on-duty police officer who can respond immediately.
“We're targeting right now the dope deal, prostitution and any of the unsightly elements that are in the Downtown Area Command. A lot of money has been pumped into Downtown, Freemont District and we're trying to bring up the environment,” said Metro Lt. Graham.
“It's going to be very helpful for us over here because we have a lot of travelers and they don't want to walk to Freemont Experience, just because they see these people walking around and yeah sometimes they offer them drugs,” adds Fox.
And for business owners, there's added incentive.
“We're selfish you know. We want our properties to do better so they are worth more and we can do better business,” said business owner Charles Fox.
Metro says it's a win-win situation. They catch the bad guys and now people like Pamela can walk these streets feeling a little safer.
Metro will be training these business owners on when they should use the phone number. Officers say once they get the call from a business owner, they will respond as quickly as possible.
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