What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. But now, if something happens in Vegas, it means you might not be allowed back.
A new proposal could keep certain criminal offenders away from the Las Vegas Strip.
The Nevada Resort Association and Culinary Workers Union Local 226 recently threw their support behind an amendment to Gov. Joe Lombardo’s criminal justice bill. The amendment would bar misdemeanor offenders from returning to the Strip for up to a year.
Democrats have pushed to allow Clark County to set up a special court for criminal matters related to the Strip. In other words, the Las Vegas Strip becomes its own jurisdiction.
They set up the court in 2023, but dissolved it last year. Sen. Melanie Scheible told The Nevada Independent concerns over caseloads and a lack of guidelines caused the dissolution.
Scheible now says those issues have been resolved under the new amendment. The NRA and the Culinary Union hope their support could crimes against tourists on the famed stretch of casinos.
“We are imploring you to enact meaningful safeguards to prevent the escalation of crimes senselessly perpetrated against our tourists and resort employees,” Resort Association President and CEO Virginia Valentine and union Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge noted in a joint letter to lawmakers.
It wasn’t long ago the casino resorts and the culinary union were bitter enemies. Last year, the culinary union hit the picket lines after contract disputes with the resorts.
Now, the two entities have a shared goal. With tourism on the decline, which hurts the bottom line of both industry workers and executives alike, both want to take extra measures to keep the Strip safe.
Repeat Offenders Face Punishment
Pappageorge’s letter offered several examples of crimes against hotel employees. That included a man who had previously trespassed 34 times violently attacking a security guard. He then assaulted another security officer when asked to leave.
Another example focused on a man under the influence of drugs who prevented a hotel executive from leaving her office, and then threatened to kill the security officers who showed up to remove him from the premises. The letter also noted another man who had trespassed over 700 times and was found lying asleep on a resort walkway with a crack pipe on his chest, preventing traffic along the route.
“To be clear, there are just too many incidents like this to list,” the letter notes.
The effort comes as the two groups are more accustomed to squaring off in contract negotiations. Both groups argued that swift action is needed to protect employees and tourists alike, and a dedicated court is the best way to accomplish that.
The amendment would also create harsher penalties for crimes against hospitality workers. The crime bill has received bipartisan support and was passed out of the Senate on Monday in a 20-1 vote.
