LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Vandals have been hitting businesses in the downtown Arts District for several months now.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the City of Las Vegas teamed up back in April to try and fight back. The effort is called the Arts District Coalition and involves quarterly meetings with small business owners to address their concerns.
While the co-founder of Tacotarian Kristen Corral said she's thankful for Metro presence near her business, more needs to be done to prevent these sorts of crimes.
"It's kind of getting to a point of desperation now," said Corral. "We've spent probably $10,000 in the last few months making repairs and fixing damaged windows."
Tacotarian was vandalized this past week. The business posted a video on Instagram of the damage and a surveillance video catching the act.
Tacotarian isn't the only business in recent months to get vandalized. DE Thai Kitchen and Dig it! Coffee were also broken into earlier this year.
On Thursday, small business owners came together with city leaders and Metro police to discuss the progress of the Arts District Coalition.
Metro Downtown Area Command Captain Adam Seely said since taking over the area in March, it was important for him to know the business owners in the area personally.
"When you talk about public safety, it always goes back to community policing," Seely said. "The roots of community policing comes back to having a strong relationship with the police department and the actual people in the community.
Seely said since the coalition began, crime has gone down in the Downtown area command. Metro reports property and personal crimes have gone done more than 60% compared to one month ago and more than 30% compared to this time last year.
His goal is to expand the coalition and become the biggest downtown.
"I've asked the business owners to help me recruit so that Downtown Area Command can have a relationship with every person who owns a business in downtown," Seely said.
Councilwoman Olivia Diaz spearheaded the coalition. She represents Ward 3 where Downtown is located.
"Every time [a crime] happens, it breaks my heart," Diaz said. "I'm the representative of this area and I want no one to be harmed. I want only the best for everyone."
Diaz said the city launched a safety and security grant of up to $10,000 available to small businesses in distressed areas. In terms of policy changes and holding criminals more accountable, she said there's not much she can do.
"For example, one of the things we've been battling in the city is copper wire theft," Diaz said. "Unfortunately, there is no stiff penalty to disincentivize individuals from stripping our lights. There's very little we can do on the local level to deter people from wanting to do certain things."
Diaz encourages business owners to speak with their state elected officials so their frustrations can be heard in the next legislative session.
Corral said many of the criminals who break in to her business are homeless people who need help, and she wants to see change now.
"We need programs. We need plans. We need help from the city," Corral said. "Me calling Metro after the fact and they come immediately is great. But that doesn't save me the $5,000 on my broken window."
At Tacotarian, Corral said she's spent an upwards of $20,000 on preventative measures. Recently, they purchased a fence in their backyard which cost more than $4000.
In addition to more Metro presence in downtown, the city is looking to expand on its problem-oriented policing, or POP team, which began on Fremont Street in April.
The city said it's looking to add two city marshals to the Arts District around mid-August.
