Las Vegas public safety report shows spike in park arrests and citations

At the Feb. 3 meeting of the City of Las Vegas Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission, Lieutenant Jonathan Burdette of the Department of Public Safety told commissioners that year‑to‑date arrests and citations in city parks and recreation centers increased 35.7% compared with the same period in 2024. "Year to date arrests and citations in city parks and rec centers increased by 35.7 compared to the same time frame in 2024," Burdette said.

Burdette provided ward‑level details, saying increases varied by neighborhood and enforcement activity. He said the charge most commonly cited is remaining in the park after hours, and that some wards showed much larger increases: he reported a 44.5% rise linked to park violation and lodging calls in one ward, a 52.5% increase for the "remaining in park after hours" charge in another, a 79.5% increase in a separate ward attributed to increased patrol productivity, and a 166.7% rise in activity at Centennial Hills Park tied to increased presence at that site.

Commissioners asked for clarification about specific offenses and the city's notification practices after serious incidents. One commissioner asked, "What's unlawful presence in the children's park?" Burdette answered that for parks designated "children's only," it is an offense for adults to be in the park unless they supervise a child 12 or younger. On the question of notification, Deputy Director Pat O'Mara said there is not a routine public‑notification system for every incident. "Sometimes the announcement is more along the lines of 'yesterday this is what happened in the park,'" O'Mara said, and staff will notify the public if there is an active or ongoing investigation or if a park must be closed.

The exchange followed a recent fatal overdose near Mountain Ridge Park that prompted a commissioner to ask whether the parks department and public‑safety officials have a standard process for notifying park users when significant occurrences happen. Burdette said a park is typically closed and staffed at the entrances only when a closure is necessary; otherwise the timing of reports and staff workloads affect whether immediate public outreach is possible.

No formal action was taken on the public‑safety report; commissioners thanked staff for the update and requested continued monitoring and clearer guidance about notifications to park users if future incidents pose ongoing safety concerns.