Gun-toting young adults targeted

Las Vegas Valley law enforcement agencies on Tuesday added a new element to their effort to target weapons-toting young adults.

The Nevada Project Safe Neighborhoods Task Force will begin zeroing in on violent young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 who linger around schools. A series of shootings near bus stops and schools prompted the redirection of the task force.

U.S. Attorney Gregory Brower said Clark County school police will join the program for the first time to provide information to the task force. Many weapons-related offenses that occur on school campuses or around schools are not reported to other police departments.

"We want to arrest and convict younger offenders, get them off the streets so they are not able to commit gun crimes in the future," Brower said.

The task force, which has been in place since 2002, consists of representatives of all local law enforcement agencies. They meet weekly to discuss weapons-related crimes that occurred within their jurisdictions and then determine whether the suspects should be prosecuted at the federal or state level.

Task force members historically have targeted older adults, but law enforcement officials said the pattern of criminal behavior involving weapons typically begins between the ages of 18 and 25.

"The newly focused Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative will be another great tool police and prosecutors can use to prosecute and possibility rehabilitate these offenders so they can become a positive member of this community," North Las Vegas Police Chief Joe Forti said.

The U.S. Attorney's Office recently received a $300,000 grant to enhance the Safe Neighborhoods programs. The office will dedicate two prosecutors to handle gun and gang violence, Brower said.

The new direction is meant to send a message to gang members and others who carry weapons. Those who are prosecuted federally often face more stringent penalties than those whose cases are handled in state courts. The federal system also does not allow parole.

Clark County's Department of Juvenile Justice Services also will take part in the program to send out the word that the tolerance level with gun-related crimes is not what it used to be. Last year, the department received 500 referrals that involved juveniles possessing weapons.

The Las Vegas Valley has seen a rash of shootings near schools. In December, a bus stop shooting left six people wounded. Three other shootings around district schools left one student dead and another wounded.

"The committee is going to focus in the areas around schools and in the schools," said Natalie Collins, spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office. "For the first time, they are really making a concentrated effort to work with school police, to get them to tell law enforcement agencies when they find a gun at school."

Filiberto Arroyo, the police chief for the Clark County School District, emphasized the importance of cracking down on weapons in school zones.

"We stand ready to play a major role in the reduction of students possessing firearms in and around schools," Arroyo said. "It is incumbent that we exhaust all available measures to ensure safe schools, which in turn contributes to safe neighborhoods."

Contact reporter Adrienne Packer at apacker@reviewjournal.com or 702-384-8710.