Las Vegas heightens security for New Year’s

Months after mass shooting, city police department will have every officer on duty

LAS VEGAS— An unprecedented number of law enforcement officers and National Guard members will be on duty when tens of thousands of people gather to ring in 2018 on the Las Vegas Blvd., just three months after one of the world’s most famous roadways became associated with the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department will have every officer working Sunday, while the Nevada National Guard is activating about 350 soldiers and airmen after lawmakers this month approved tripling the state funding for the event’s security measures. The federal government is also sending dozens of personnel to assist with intelligence and other efforts.

“I’m confident every available resource is being used to make sure this New Year’s Eve will be safe,” Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo said during a news conference.

Tourism officials expect about 330,000 to come to Las Vegas for the festivities that are anchored by a roughly eight-minute firework display at the top of seven of the destination’s casino-hotels.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security recently upgraded the city’s New Year’s Eve on its list of special events that due to its economic or social impact, length and attendance could be potential targets of criminal activity. For the first time, the celebration was ranked in the highest category.

The change in rating was not a direct result of the mass shooting carried out by a high-stakes gambler on Oct. 1. The man killed 58 people and injured hundreds more after he shattered the windows of his suite on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel-casino on the Strip and unleashed gunfire on a country music festival. He then killed himself.

Lombardo said no specific threat to the festivities has been discovered.