Don't Let It Happen In Vegas
September 8, 2009
Just when you thought it was safe to show your Vegas …
In yet another high-profile sting, eight people were arrested at Hard Rock’s “Rehab” pool party this weekend on both drug and prostitution charges.
Photo Collage of Hard Rock's Rehab
As anyone who has been to one of these parties might attest (if they were honest), drugs and prostitution have been a mainstay of the Vegas club scene since, well, since there has been a Vegas club scene.
Scratch that … drugs and loose women have been a fixture of every club scene in every city since the roaring 20’s.
Yes, Vegas is getting much of the heat lately, but it would be naive to suggest that we have more illegal drugs in our “parties” than does say New York, Los Angeles, or even Omaha.
While Laptop-toting DJ’s and the consumption of Ecstasy has directly led to the painfully annoying phenomenons known as “douchebaggery” and “metrosexuality”, I am wholeheartedly against the infiltration and arrest of their social events. They are people too. If you cut them, do they not scream “Oh fudge!” and apply color-coordinated bandages that accentuate their iPods?
These stings have now started to gain real momentum, and the question that has been nagging me is:
Why now?
In the midst of a recession, why has the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department picked this particular time to launch a “War On Douchebags, Drugs, and Pervs”?
The M Pool
It seems like a poor time to alienate any paying demographic.
After really thinking it through and honestly trying to figure it out, I have come up with a few plausible explanations.
Maybe Barack Obama’s remarks hit a sore spot
With conventions, meetings, and business trips to Las Vegas being cancelled left and right, perhaps the powers-that-be have decided that the businessman’s dollar is simply more valuable than the frat and sorority dollar. Maybe a full Las Vegas Convention Center is far more important than a full pool at the Hard Rock.
Revenue
Schools are hurting, Metro PD is hiring more officers, and someone has to pay for it. Since the gambling revenue thing isn’t working out, perhaps we are resorting to fines to make up the difference. Many municipalities do this through parking tickets and speeding tickets, but nabbing tourists for drunken and debaucherous behavior is like shooting fish in a barrel.
Bribe Reminders
Maybe these clubs are not rendering unto Caesar. It’s the world’s worst-kept secret that most police departments are corrupt, and as the hammer of the recession drops harder, perhaps club owners and party promoters are kicking back less cash to the police department. Those who are falling behind on payments to look the other way might be getting served up as “examples” to the other venues to remind them who is in charge.
The grand plan for Vegas 3.0
As high-tech office buildings masquerading as casinos begin to go up on The Strip, maybe the city wants to shift the paradigm away from trust fund babies and toward business people and those with more “class”. Let’s face it, neither City Center or the Fblue look terribly “entertaining”, and perhaps this is not a mistake. Maybe the next phase of Vegas is all about design elements.
A return of family-friendliness
It didn’t go over terribly well a decade ago, but perhaps Las Vegas is once again going the “fun for the whole family” route.
We just don’t give a f**k about visitors anymore.
After spending half a century catering to the whims of fickle tourists, maybe Las Vegas has finally burned out on the concept of kissing out-of-towner ass, and is now trying to position itself as an actual city.
Perhaps the Valley is starting to see the risks of being a one trick pony.
With no corporate taxation and no personal income taxation, maybe Las Vegas yearns to diversify and lure more and larger companies and industries in order to sustain itself. In order for this to happen, we must crack down on certain behaviors.
Because of our reputation for vice and risk, “serious” companies have been hesitant to move to Nevada.
Citibank relocated part of its operations to Vegas years ago on the condition that they didn’t have to use “Las Vegas” in their address. Thus, “The Lakes, Nevada 89163” is now an officially recognized postal designation … even though it lies wholly within the Las Vegas city limits.
With 2 million residents, we have more than enough people to sustain a far more economically diverse metro area.
The population of Las Vegas is now equivalent to that of Seattle, Miami, Washington DC, and Atlanta.
The Las Vegas Metro area is roughly the size of that of Portland, Denver, and San Jose, and is significantly larger than that of Memphis, Nashville, and Milwaukee.
We’re no longer a sleepy tourist town. Our public schools are packed and as generations spawn, we are emerging with a regional identity. With a burgeoning local music scene, crowded roads, and areas that are starting to represent actual neighborhoods … Las Vegas is becoming more of an actual city and less “everyone else’s playground” with each passing year.
Enforcing the will of the Summerlin soccer moms and the eastside Mormons may finally be taking priority over looking the other way when the Calidouches want to play.
Las Vegas used to turn a blind eye toward most of the behavior that is making the news lately, and when they actually did enforce the law, it was done so quietly.
The LVCVA and local casinos actively and openly encouraged these activities with a variety of ad campaigns clearly aimed at misbehavior (What Happens Here Stays Here, etc).
While the possibilities I have laid out above are only guesses, I do know one thing for sure:
Something’s up.
There are just too many screaming headlines lately for this to be an accident or a coincidence. These raids and busts are happening in a public manner on purpose, and they are meant to get the attention of someone. Whatever the reasons behind the current paradigm shift, one cannot deny its existence.
What is being done to club owners and patrons now seems to harken back to the days when the mob was finally pushed back underground.
There is a visible push right now to “clean up” Las Vegas, or at least make the appearance of such.
There is a new agenda, and I imagine it will become more clear in the near future.
I don’t welcome it, nor do I agree with it, but until I am Mayor I will have no say in the matter.
The way things are going, I may actually be the last and final hope to preserve the “Vegas, Baby!” status-quo.
Irony.
Luxor Pool
Anyway, if you are planning a trip in the near future, heed the message that the city is sending loud and clear.
I guess we really don’t want your money after all.
When you arrive – whatever you do, Don’t Show Your Vegas.
If It Happens Here, It Absolutely will Stay Here … at least until you post bond.
Written by tully on September 9, 2009 at 1:56 am
Has there been a significant increase in prostitution and drug sales on and around the Strip in the last year—-perhaps a result of the unemployment rate? Has the level of activity increased enough to shift law enforcement from a certain amount of “look the other way” tolerance, to seeing it as a problem that needs their response?
Another possibility to add to the ones Rex listed. TBH, the crackdown just seems very puzzling. Certainly seems the timing of it could not be worse.
Written by BigRedDogATL on September 9, 2009 at 4:24 am
As a tourist who comes to Las Vegas to vacation and have some fun, I welcome the law enforcement efforts to clean up the illegal activities in the tourist areas. All of the illegal drug activity needs to go away. I don’t need some pothead or crack addict around me when I am trying to relax.
Maybe the police department ought to start arresting all the porn slappers and drivers of the “Hot Babes To Your Room” ad trucks under a RICO warrant for enabling prostitution. Or at least maybe the undercover sting officiers should start clearing out all the streetwalkers that hit upon any male tourist as they enter the strip casinos (especially the Flamingo).
My belief is that if Las Vegas can’t rid the city of illegal drugs and prostitution, then they should direct it all to one central location that tourists who don’t like that stuff can know to avoid. Turn the useless Neonopolis complex into one giant crack house and illegal pharmacy, where all drugs have to be consumed on the premises. Take the abandoned Lady Luck hotel and turn it into a giant brothel, where rooms are rented by the hour. Put the cesspool right in the view of the useless Mayor Goodman’s office windows.
I say, Keep up the good work Las Vegas and Clark County law enforcement and let’s see even more high profile busts.
Written by ColinFromLasVegas on September 9, 2009 at 5:43 am
Just to help kind of put it in perspective and answer your question of “Why now?”, I read about this incident at Hard Rock Rehab in a few other news articles.
From what I see, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department already said they got involved by watching the hospitals. And the hospitals have statistics that show a high amount of drug overdoses and drug/alcohol related health problems from people who frequented the Hard Rock Rehab. And LVMPD noticed there were too many. And this pointed at an unusual out of the ordinary high density of criminal behavior. So, from what I understand, that’s how it was targeted by undercover police in an effort to clean it up, to prevent drug abuse and perhaps even save lives.
I guess this last one had seven arrests dealing with drug distribution/possession/sale/what have you drug related stuff and one prostitution arrest.
In another instance, that “integrity check” at Rio before was, in my opinion, a joke…and a bad idea by the casino…to start off with. That place fell under the radar of Metro too because of complaints. If you have a pool at a casino in Las Vegas and you promote topless bathing, alcohol, and, as an inducement to get more people to come, you invite strippers from a local strip joint to frequent it, it IS going to invite and attract a criminal element. And, if not a criminal element, it will invite a crowd you don’t want. And this is what happened. From my understanding of that, the casino basically realized they lost control, they understood their liquor license and gambling license were at stake if they continued on along like they were going, and I even surmise that it wasn’t making money for them. So, Metro PD was invited in and they cleaned it up. And the Rio discovered, after Metro PD was invited in and cleaned it up and arrested people left and right, this indeed was not a good idea, they had far much to lose than gain, and they stopped that merger with strippers and their pool. As a side note, I thought the wording by Rio was hilarious…this “integrity check” business. As if to say, okay, there’s a problem here, but we don’t basically want to refer it as a criminal problem, we’ll downplay it and use some gobbleygook phrase that don’t make sense…um….lessee….”health, safety and comfort inspection?”….no….too long…how about “pool maintenance?”…no….sounds like we’re working on it and it’s closed…I GOT IT!….”Integrity check!”…yeah….that’s it…let’s go with that. Dumb. And very transparent.
And lastly, this Prive/Opium/P-Ho debacle strains the senses of credibility. You have Opium, a group from Miami, who could care less about Las Vegas, only the ability to rake money quick and fast and then run away from Nevada with it quick, hires goons to run it to scrape money out of the wealthy and middle class 20-30 year old crowds. And their whole motivation was not to follow regulations/laws and provide for the safety and welfare of their patrons, nor was it to help P-Ho get people into their casino, it was to GET THAT MONEY. And get it anyway they could. And get it fast as possible…before they got discovered. Make people stand in line to make the place sound like it was trendy to get in, then when it’s their turn, charge them extravagant prices to get in, followed by bottle service, table service, even a ma’am and/or sir charge, and get Paris Hilton in there to get drooling shitfaced drunk to attract people, ANYTHING to get that money. And to hell with patrons. Dump them drunk out in the alley. Get hookers in free to attract the guys. You name it. Because the money was flowing fast and loose, this attracted the criminal element. And to make matters worse, the goons in charge encouraged them to come in, and at the end of the night, would collect all the tips, and then, behind closed doors, count it all out with their arithmetic of two for me, one for them, four for me, two for them. Money. And to be damned with stupid stuff like compliance with liquor license laws.
And from what I understand, the same goons at Prive were the same ones that ran Pure at Caesars Palace. They ran that into the ground, got discovered and then moved on to Prive. And that IRS/Government investigation into who owes what when, why, where, how is still going on. With indictments pending soon.
And this thing with Prive ain’t over. Even though the goons that ran that place wrong got chased out, there’s a new batch in there and it STILL is being run wrong. Money is still the focus. Just a few weeks ago, they were denied a 90-day liquor license AGAIN. Why? Because they stopped Metro PD from entering the club to respond to a call. The liquor license people saw this and said, no, hell no, you ain’t getting a 90-day license, because if you stop our eyes and ears from entering to see if you are trying to exhibit any ability to show compliance, then we can’t help you. So, now Prive/Opium/P-Ho has to go back to a meeting on October 6 to decide again if they are going to take any steps for compliance to get a liquor license. What’s funny is that P-Ho has already been fined $500 large and it looks like the other $250 thousand they have to pay if they break their probation is going to be on their necks too. Because P-Ho shows absolutely no ability to put a leash on them assholes and get them to run the place right. It’s so bad that P-Ho will end up making the old Prive into a sushi bar or something (no sake sold, only soft drinks).
Sorry, Rex… Kind of long there, but I really don’t think there is a trend. I just think there is just reaction to lawlessness, mismanagement, bad ideas, greed, and just plain outright rooting out the criminal element from the Strip. And I do agree with this. And this kind of stuff is ongoing. Because, even though Las Vegas has an unseemly reputation based on perceived loose morales, etc., the safety of tourists is still a number one priority. You can’t guarantee their safety, then they aren’t going to come to Las Vegas.
Plain and simple.
And I actually think this is good. But, as you pointed out, it doesn’t help us now. Perhaps in the long run it will help. When and if the tourists start coming back more and more.
Written by blueboar on September 9, 2009 at 7:47 am
Rex, I think you’re right. Something is going on.
There is no way in hell that some midlevel police supervisor all of a sudden decided to raid these major casino properties all on his own. It’s got to be coming from much higher up.
Your possible theories as to why are interesting. I lean more toward the theories that somebody wants things cleaned up for conventions, Vegas 3.0, and diversifying the tax base.
Somebody seems to want to turn you into Phoenix West. And think about it, you’re well on your way to that. If it wasn’t for the Strip, could you really pick Vegas out from any other Southwest city when you fly into it?
Face it, except for the gambling, shows, and some TandA, Las Vegas is becoming Phoenix; except with shittier weather and only slightly better air quality. They’ve already been screwing with the gambling conditions. Now they’re going to screw with the other stuff? Just how are you going to differentiate yourself from any other tourist destination?
I’ll probably still make it out to Vegas. But you know, I was talking to a friend this past weekend, and he was telling me about their trip to one of the Mexican resorts last year. 5 star hotels and restaurants. Lots of stuff to do. Superior weather. And I couldn’t believe how cheap it all was. They got an all inclusive package for a week for about the price I spend on a trip to Vegas as a low roller.
You’ve got competition out there for the tourist and convention dollar, and somebody seems intent on getting rid of your party town reputation.
Written by Rex on September 9, 2009 at 8:15 am
I think Vegas does want to be taken pseudo-seriously a/la perhaps Phoenix. I do not think many people in town want the “Sin City” moniker anymore.
I think someone has crunched the numbers, and realized that conventions > douchebags.
Ditto for guys who pay for female company.
I really think the Obama remark started off a chain reaction of events to take some of the business stink off of the Las Vegas brand.
A brand, I should add, that the LVCVA tries it’s best to perpetrate with the “What Happens Here” crap. If these stings aren’t further proof that the entire ad campaign is and was a deceptive fraud and an outright insult to human intelligence … then I give up trying to convince people.
If prostitution is legal a mere 50 miles west, how evil could it really be?
Of course it’s not evil at all, and neither are “drugs” (most anything you ingest is a drug) in my opinion, and doing this now after a couple of decades of looking the other way does seem staged.
How many times did this happen in 2007, or 2005, or 2002?
Maybe a few, but it wasn’t made as public.
The LVMPD and the media started off 2009 rounding up the “50 most prolific hookers” near The Strip, complete with large spreads in the tabloid Review-Journal, and pretty much went from there.
Even as our population stagnates or goes down, the LVMPD is actively hiring new recruits and expects to put a flood of more officers on the street shortly.
I drove to Fremont Street on Sunday night, and I have never seen so many patrol cars in my life on the Boulevard and side streets.
There is a huge law enforcement push going on right now … not just in the properties, but all over the city. This COULD be a good thing, except for the fact that there is nothing more frightening than a Las Vegas cop.
A more corrupt, poorly trained and unprofessional group of people I have yet to encounter.
I would take the company of a gun-toting, crack-addicted hooker any day of the week.
The problem is, the city flourished during the “What Happens Here” myth. Sure it was crap, but people are stupid. Look at the movie “Hangover”. The city loved that propaganda piece, but I dare you to count how many misdemeanors and felonies that took place during the course of that movie.
We want to make it appear that you can get away with a little more decadence here, but when you are constantly wondering if the lady in the bikini next to you is a cop, I’m not sure how that is going to work anymore.
From a tourist perspective, we are now officially a city with a major identity crisis.
Written by SPRUNT on September 9, 2009 at 9:01 am
I think this is just the starting point for their new slogan: “Las Vegas: What happens here isn’t allowed.”
Written by mike_ch on September 9, 2009 at 11:40 am
It’s fine by me. This kind of activity needs to at least be driven into the strip clubs. Having it at the hotel pool or whatever is taking it too far. I should point out almost all the people arrested at Rehab were dudes. I’m also glad to see some speeding enforcement on the highways. It was particularly bad through 2005-2006.
Rex’s article pretty much had me head-nodding in at least one of the reasons, and then left me with a big “huh?” at the end. Some of us would like to see our city be more than just a Californian’s drug-hazed pissing pot. We will not last very long if that’s all it’s good for.
Written by mike_ch on September 9, 2009 at 11:48 am
Likewise, I think the LVCVA/R
Written by mike_ch on September 9, 2009 at 11:59 am
Well crap, that was a good post but it looks like your comments system doesn’t like ampersands. Let me try that again:
The LVCVA and “R and R” Partners incestuous relationship (they’re REALLY tight, read around) should be broken up and a new ad campaign should be formed. Vegas used to market itself on having a fun time with shows and gambling, and satisfying that human desire to maybe get a little something for nothing (comped meal, your entire trip paid for by a big win, who knows.) Yeah, they weren’t SO realistic that you saw schlubs losing it all on 6:5 Blackjack, but it still got across a fairly typical Vegas vacation in TV and print.
Nowadays, we have this wink wink nudge nudge marketing that usually revolves around being able to completely shut your brain off, usually with the assistance of an ingredient of some kind. A few months ago the big movie of the month was that stupid Hangover flick about a bunch of guys who were completely wasted, and the song the radio wouldn’t stop playing was some Katy Perry tune about not being able to remember how you got here or even what you were doing a few hours ago.
I spent the majority of the day yesterday, over twelve hours, on the Strip and I can remember it in detail. I think a lot of other people can, too. But when we advertise the city as offering this lawless unrestrained debauchery, like it’s that scene from Caligula, we should not be surprised that someone actually attempts that. And we should not be surprised to find the guy face down in the Bellagio conservatory, passed out in a puddle of his own vomit after drunkenly staggering across the street from Prive.
Seriously, we can do better than this.
Written by Huddler on September 10, 2009 at 6:47 am
Ok, well, lets say I have a friend who just happens to be going to Vegas around the 1st of October. And lets say, said friend would like to buy and 8 ball of some fine Columbian flake. And lets also assume that this friend might need to rent some female companionship for about 15 minutes. Ok, 5 minutes. Where would said friend go these days in Vegas in order to purchase said items? I never thought I would see the day when its easy to get high and get laid in Omaha than it is in Vegas. For shame!
Written by jinx on September 10, 2009 at 12:15 pm
Direct friend to PH Heart Bar anytime after 11, and he should be able to ‘meet’ overly friendly women.