Area Briefing
ANNUAL CAR SHOW AND MOTORCYCLE RIDE TO AID INJURED POLICE OFFICERS FUND
The Injured Police Officers Fund plans its annual car show and motorcycle ride at 7 a.m. Saturday at the Bass Pro Shops, 8200 Dean Martin Drive.
The car show is slated to begin at noon and feature family activities and a raffle. Organization representatives set to appear include those from the Metropolitan, North Las Vegas and Henderson police departments and the Nevada Highway Patrol.
For more information, call 380-2840 or visit helplasvegascops.com.
REGISTRATION DUE TODAY FOR CYBER FRAUD FORUM
Today is the deadline to RSVP for a forum dealing with cyber fraud, set for Sept. 12 at the Springs Preserve, 333 S. Valley View Blvd.
Topics are to include identity theft and preventative measures, with the talk led by Joe Flueckiger, corporate director of security for City National Bank.
Breakfast and registration are scheduled for 7:30 a.m., and the discussion is slated for 8 to 9 a.m.
Registration can be conducted at cnb.com/events by entering the code word "Fraud." For more information, call 888-664-4262.
KIDS CAN LEARN POLICE CAREERS DURING EXPLORER PROGRAM
The Metropolitan Police Department is seeking student recruits to join its 2012-13 Explorer program.
The new member meeting is scheduled for 8 a.m. Sept. 15 at the police headquarters, 400 S. Martin Luther King Blvd. Students must apply and be accepted before they can attend the meeting. The department is accepting online applications for new members, ages 16 to 20, at lvmpdexplorers.com.
The program teaches students about career paths in policing, corrections, crime investigation and dispatch.
Participants must be of good moral character, have no felony convictions or lengthy criminal history, pass a police background investigation and be motivated to volunteer in the community.
The program is a branch of the Boy Scouts of America's Learning for Life program, developed to help build good moral character, promote good citizenship and develop personal and mental fitness.
For more information about the program or the new member meeting, contact officer Michael Rodriguez at m12717R@lvmpd.com, or visit lvmpdexplorers.com.
POLICE SEEK CROSSING GUARD VOLUNTEERS
The Metropolitan Police Department seeks reliable adults to serve as school crossing guards throughout the school year. The guards will assist elementary schoolchildren crossing the streets.
For more information, call 828-3446.
INITIATIVE COMBATING SCHOOL VIOLENCE BEING CONSIDERED FOR AWARD
The Metropolitan Police Department's school violence initiative recently won national recognition, being selected as one of six candidates for the Center for Problem Oriented Policing Herman Goldstein Award.
The department's school violence initiative was implemented in 2008 following the death of Christopher Privett, a Palo Verde High School student who was shot while walking home from school. The incident shed light on the lack of police coordination and information sharing between agencies, police officials said. Since then, the school violence initiative now analyzes trends, shares information between agencies and targets problem areas.
Over the last four years, there has been a 68 percent decline in handguns recovered on and around school campuses and a 25.8 percent decline in knives recovered, according to the department.
Even though the original intention of the initiative was to prevent school shootings, the interventions used to prevent those events have helped police identify trends and respond to other forms of school violence, such as bullying.
OFFICERS HONORED FOR SAFE VILLAGE CRIME REDUCTION PROGRAM
Awards were distributed to various Metropolitan Police Department officers Aug. 15 or their participation in a program said to have reduced crime in West Las Vegas.
The officers who took part in the Safe Village initiative formed crucial community ties that led to lower crime rates in West Las Vegas, according to the department.
The awards were distributed during a commendation ceremony at the department's headquarters, 400 S. Martin Luther King Blvd., Building B.
The thirty-three officers who were honored at the event also include two who received the Lifesaving Award for assisting residents in need of medical help. Also, four officers were given the Medal of Honor, and one received the Medal of Valor.
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS TO BE 1ST TUESDAY TOPIC
Officers will discuss potential disasters and emergency preparedness with residents during the Metropolitan Police Department's 1st Tuesday program, set for 7 to 8 p.m. today at the department's valleywide area commands.
The 1st Tuesday program is a free open house-style event that takes place monthly on the first Tuesday. After speakers discuss assigned topics, residents can learn more about their neighborhoods and meet their local police officers.
For a list of area commands or other additional information, visit lvmpd.com or call 828-3111.
CLASSES TO TEACH KIDS TO AVOID DANGER
Nevada Child Seekers plans free radKIDS classes at the Silver Springs Recreation Center, 1951 Silver Springs Parkway, Henderson, to teach children how to avoid and escape dangerous situations.
Classes for 6- to 8-year-olds are set for 9-10:30 a.m. Saturdays from Sept. 15-Oct. 20. Classes for 9- to 12-year-olds are set for Saturdays from Nov. 3-Dec. 8.
Parents will receive a family manual to help reinforce the safety skills learned.
Registration can be conducted at cityofhenderson.com under the parks and recreation section or in person at the recreation center.
For more information, visit nevadachildseekers.org or call 458-7009.
BUFFALO DRIVE ROAD IMPROVEMENTS TO CAUSE LANE CLOSURES
Road construction is set for several weeks as the city of Las Vegas makes improvements on Buffalo Drive between Lake Mead and Charleston boulevards.
Motorists are advised to use Rainbow Boulevard or Durango Drive as alternate routes, the city said.
The eight-week project began Aug. 27. Construction hours are set for 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday through Friday, with portions of work being conducted during daytime hours due to noise concerns, the city said.
A minimum of two lanes in each direction are scheduled to remain open during peak morning and afternoon hours. During nighttime work, traffic may be restricted to one lane in each direction.
Preliminary work was completed earlier this year and consisted of improvements to sidewalk areas to meet federal Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.
The current work consists of removal and reconstruction of deteriorated areas of pavement, median island modifications for improved traffic flow and placement of a pavement surface overlay and new traffic markers and striping.
Las Vegas Paving Corp. is the contractor. City of Las Vegas Department of Operations and Maintenance personnel are managing the project. Funding for the $1.7 million project is provided by the city of Las Vegas.
NEW TRAFFIC SIGNAL INSTALLED IN WARD 2 AT CHARLESTON BOULEVARD INTERSECTION
The city of Las Vegas recently installed a traffic signal at Charleston Boulevard and Indigo Drive.
The signal is meant to help provide safe access onto Charleston for residents and businesses in the area.
BUILDING PERMITS PACKAGED WITH WATER HEATERS, SOFTENERS
Valley governments and several Home Depot sites have launched a pilot program to make obtaining a permit less of a hassle with regard to items such as water heaters or softeners, HVAC systems and gas/electric meters.
Customers will be able to obtain the proper permits at the stores, saving them time and an extra trip, city officials said.
Participating jurisdictions include the cities of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas. Clark County is expected to take part in the program beginning in September, according to the Nevada State Contractors Board, which helped create the program.
Currently, permit terminals are scheduled to be at 11 Home Depot locations valleywide, the board said. The Henderson location is 1030 W. Sunset Road. The North Las Vegas locations are 855 E. Dorrell Lane and 1275 W. Craig Road. The Las Vegas sites are 7881 W. Tropical Parkway, 9705 W. Charleston Blvd., 861 S. Rainbow Blvd., 1401 S. Lamb Blvd., 4750 S. Decatur Blvd., 6025 S. Pecos Road, 4195 S. Fort Apache Road and 7015 Arroyo Crossing Parkway.
Each terminal is designed to interface with the various building department systems and will allow customers to obtain water heater, water softener, HVAC, gas/electric meter and other related permits and schedule an inspection through the jurisdictions' websites. The Home Depot will collect the payment from customers for the building permits at no cost to the participating jurisdictions.
The purpose of the pilot program is to help contractors and homeowners obtain proper building permits. Permits are required to keep the public safe by making sure certain appliances are installed properly and that construction meets safety codes.
The cities' agreements are for 90 days, with six-month renewal options.
Home Depot will analyze the future of the project based on its outcome and then decide whether to expand it to other Nevada jurisdictions, the contractors board said.
