By: Las Vegas Now Staff
There is a new man at the helm of crime fighting in North Las Vegas. Joseph Forti has been named the new police chief at the North Las Vegas Police Department, and high on his list goals is community policing and keeping kids safe at school.
Many neighborhoods in North Las Vegas are living with crime. Robbery, assaults and stolen cars are a constant problem for police. But a new plan by the new chief may turn things around.
“The children that are out late at night, that are out after curfew, it is a police problem. Or the kids that are in the gangs, it’s a police problem. No, they are a community problem,” he said.
Forti’s idea to bring down crime is bring in the people.
“If you don’t engage the community and don’t get in to the community, you’re not going to be successful,” he said.
Forti has been with the North Las Vegas Police Department for almost 28 years, working as a street cop and even in narcotics. He says his experience has taught him community policing really is key.
The people on the streets and in the communities are the true eyes and ears. The new chief says it is time to plug into their resources.
“The sooner we get this really rolling, the sooner we’ll make much more headway in reducing crime and solving crime,” he said.
The same is true of our schools. With a teenage daughter, he takes to heart the violence on and around campuses.
“You have a stake when you have a young child that goes go to a school, and you are thinking about their safety because there are a lot of issues that we have been dealing with,” he said.
Forti’s working with the school district and his officers are answering their calls for help. He says change starts when cops make connections with students, residents and the community as a whole. When this happens, he thinks North Las Vegas will become the best city in the state.
