Violence on Las Vegas Strip could affect safety reputation among tourists

CREATED Feb. 21, 2013

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  • During his news conference Thursday Sheriff Doug Gillespie made it clear this kind of violence will not be tolerated, and the stakes are high. Video by ktnv.com

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Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- During his news conference Thursday, Sheriff Doug Gillespie made it clear this kind of violence will not be tolerated and the stakes are high. Police are extremely aware the city's reputation as a "safe tourist destination" is on the line.

Here's the thing about the Las Vegas Strip; that is pretty much our bread and butter. So it is vital that our reputation here remain as one of safety and fun.

After Thursday morning's brutal violence on the Strip near Flamingo, questions are getting thrown out about the safety of the Las Vegas Strip.

"It's like oh my goodness, one more issue of violence on the Strip, and what I want to ensure people and tourists as well the Strip is extremely safe," Chris Giunchigliani.

That can be hard to believe since so much violent crime has happened on Las Vegas Boulevard South since December starting with a man shooting at police in the parking garage at Circus Circus.

A murder suicide happened a few days later in the lobby of the Excalibur and the day after Christmas, a woman was arrested for cutting another woman while working at the Bellagio.

February was just as violent with two men stabbing a guest at the hotel at Mandalay Bay and three teens shot as they came out of a parking garage elevator near Tropicana Avenue.

"Las Vegas and the Las Vegas Strip is a safe place to live, to work, and to visit," says Sheriff Doug Gillespie.

It's Las Vegas police, hotel security, and other law enforcement agencies that work hard to make the entertainment capitol of the world safe. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority released a statement touting this city is still among the safest travel destinations in the world. Despite the shooting Thursday morning tourists seem to agree.

"It happens everywhere so I mean, I'm still going to travel no matter what. I'm still going to come out here," says Stacey Dobbs who is visiting from Indiana.

"In the U.K., in the big cities you tend to expect that sort of thing. We get that sort of thing in Manchester, London, so it's quite common place all throughout the world, isn't," says Ray Welsh who is visiting from the U.K.

Commissioner Giunchigliani mentioned that most of the crime is happening between people that know each other and this is violence spilling over from our communities.

She has reached out to Las Vegas police and other local leaders about trying to curb and deal with problems before it escalates to the violence seen the past few months.