Las Vegas police use saturation strategy to cool 'hot spots' of crime

It's 6 p.m. A dozen officers and a sergeant meet in a basement at Las Vegas City Hall.

Projected onto the wall is a map of a slice of the valley. Red, yellow and blue blotches are splattered across the map.

"Downtown's on fire again," an officer says.

So are other places. The Rancho Drive and Washington Avenue area. Maryland Parkway and Tropicana Avenue. Cheyenne Avenue and Pecos Road. The entire northwest is dead quiet.

The sergeant runs down what to look for on the streets. A witness wanted in a murder trial. A guy who tried to kidnap a kid.

Somebody stole copper from the Gift of Lights in Sunset Park. "So if you see somebody with a bunch of Christmas lights in their car, it's probably stolen," Sgt. Roger Palmer says.

"'Tis the season," an officer says.

Before setting out, the team goes for dinner, and that's where Palmer explains the mission of the Metropolitan Police Department's saturation teams, or sat teams for short.

It's an innovative, proactive approach to policing. Don't handle calls for service. Leave that to the regular patrol cops. Talk to as many citizens as possible to find out who the bad guys are. Get people off the street who don't belong, and maybe prevent a robbery or burglary, or worse, from happening.

"We're not worried about turning in tickets," he says. "We're trying to get the bad guys off the street."

They use whatever laws are at their disposal: jaywalking, riding a bicycle without reflectors, outstanding warrants. They work together, swarming "hot spots" around the valley.

On Nov. 18, they decide to start with the northeast area.

First spot is the Cheyenne Pointe apartments, off Cheyenne Avenue and North Las Vegas Boulevard.

Palmer drives into the gated complex. It's seen a rash of stolen cars recently. On Election Night, Palmer says, the area was lit up with celebratory gunfire.

After rounding a corner, a few young men standing on the corner watch Palmer's car go by. He slows down, but keeps going. It's getting cold out this time of night. Fewer people stay out late. Those who do are probably up to no good.

Leaving the complex, Palmer spots an older Dodge pickup with expired California plates pulling into a bar parking lot.

In some areas, the popular cars to steal are Hondas or Toyotas. In this neighborhood, it's pickup trucks. Palmer turns on his lights.

Turns out the driver has a clean record, but the two passengers have extensive fraud and drug histories. A search of the truck turns up clean. Palmer sends the three on their way, on foot.

Just around the corner, the presence of the sat team is impossible to miss. Officers have two men seated on the curb while they check out a stolen moped. Another officer has just stuffed two young men into a jail van for possession of a black spray paint can and fat felt-tip marker. A woman is in handcuffs for a felony drug warrant.

"We're like wolves," officer Justin Gauker says.