LAS VEGAS (AP) — The top cop in Las Vegas wants more police patrolling the Strip and downtown, amid a recent series of high-profile crimes in the city's marquee tourist areas.
Las Vegas police government affairs director Chuck Callaway said Tuesday that Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo is seeking funds to hire 67 patrol officers for the Strip, and seven more for Fremont Street.
KLAS-TV reportsthat could cost almost $12 million a year.
Callaway tells The Associated Press the effort predates a deadly crash in December and a fatal shooting last Friday.
He says the goal is to prevent headline-grabbing crimes that might frighten the 40 million tourists who visit Las Vegas every year.
Callaway says most U.S. cities with about 2 million people average about two police officers per 1,000 residents, but Las Vegas averages 1.8 per 1,000.