LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — There’s a new push underway to crack down on car break-ins and crime in Las Vegas’ Chinatown.
Officers with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s Spring Valley Area Command have created a task force designed to address the growing problem in the Spring Mountain corridor.
Members of the Spring Mountain anti-crime response team started hitting the streets this week.
“I think that’s going to help out a lot too, the increased presence, just to feel like we have someone watching us,” said Misha Caguin, an employee at Cutie Design in Shanghai Plaza.
Caugin says the extra attention and patrolling is needed. The Chinatown area is constantly flooded with visitors and locals alike, enjoying the culture and amenities it has to offer. But lately, Chinatown has been a hot spot for criminals who break into cars and steal what they can.
“This task force has been a long time coming,” said LVMPD Captain Katie Geiger.
Captain Geiger helped create the task force after realizing the issue was getting out of hand.
A check on LVMPD’s crime statistics page shows there’s been more than 20 car break-ins in Chinatown in the past two weeks. Geiger says there could be more. But most of the time, the crimes go unreported.
“If we don’t know about those crimes, we can’t help. We’ve actually been able to get people in custody because of the timeliness of the information we’re receiving," Captain Geiger said.
As part of the new initiative, two officers will be patrolling the area every day. They'll also be checking in with business owners one-on-one to build stronger relationships and to make sure their concerns are being heard.
