Area Briefing

Area law enforcement agencies are out on special patrols to make sure pedestrians are crossing streets safely and legally and motorists are paying attention to pedestrians using crosswalks.

The Metropolitan and Henderson police departments and the Nevada Highway Patrol are participating in the initiative, which started April 18 and is set to last through May 9.

Officers will target intersections with clearly marked crosswalks. Police in plain clothes will use crosswalks looking for motorists who are not yielding to pedestrians. Officers also will be looking for pedestrians who are not using crosswalks and crossing against traffic signals. Officers also will be using saturation patrols looking for speeders during this enforcement effort. State grant money will assist in funding the patrols.

Speeding was the cause of about 30 percent of all fatal accidents in the U.S., according to National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. Also, from 2000 until 2007, there were 434 pedestrian fatalities statewide, according to the Nevada Department of Public Safety’s Office of Traffic Safety.

For more information, visit cityofhenderson.com/police, lvmpd.com or nhp.nv.gov.

safe business class set for thursday

The Metropolitan Police Department’s Northwest Area Command plans to host a Safe Business Partnership class from 1 to 4 p.m. Thursday at its facility, 9850 W. Cheyenne Ave.

The program is free. RSVPs are required. To RSVP, email Kathy Perkins at k2482p@lvmpd.com.

Police encourage use of sex offender watch system through website

The Metropolitan Police Department’s sex offender apprehension program encourages residents to take advantage of the offender watch system.

The free system offers sex offender registration, tracking and management tools and allows residents to become aware when a registered sex offender moves near a specified address.

Submitting an address within Clark County to Offender Watch triggers an automated monitoring process, and the system sends an email to the individual who submitted the address within 24 hours of the time that law enforcement agencies become aware that a registered sex offender has moved into the area.

For more information, visit lvmpd.com and click on the “sex offenders” tab near the top of the page.