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Sept 11 Attacks Leave Legacy of Tighter Security in Vegas Area

``The man failed an FBI lie-detector test, and the bureau quickly deemed the story not credible.

``… federal, state and local law enforcers insist there have been no "credible" terrorist threats against Las Vegas and other Nevada locations during or after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

``But the discredited July Fourth report renewed interest in stepped-up security at destinations like Hoover Dam and the Las Vegas Strip, where casinos keep a strict don't-tell policy and rely on plainclothes security and a battery of surveillance cameras at entrances, casino floors, elevators and hotel hallways.

``There are 126,000 hotel rooms and a combined force of 9,000 security guards in Las Vegas and surrounding Clark County, compared to about 2,000 sworn members of the metropolitan police department, Las Vegas police Lt. Vincent Cannito said.

``…Among large hotel-casinos, the Stratosphere in Las Vegas stands out for security measures that are more public than most.

``…Within days of the attacks, metal detectors were installed to screen visitors before the 40-second elevator ride to the observation deck.

``…The hotel also introduced to the public a friendly bomb-sniffing dog.

``…Elsewhere on the Las Vegas Strip, guards check the trunks of cars entering the parking structure at the upscale Bellagio hotel-casino. Guards at New York-New York examine drivers' licenses. Most hotels have guards patrolling on bicycles and golf carts.

``…Off the Strip, military security is tight at Nellis Air Force Base and at the Nevada Test Site, while the tightest security at a public attraction is at Hoover Dam. It forms Lake Mead and provides water for some 23 million people; electricity to California, Arizona and Nevada; and carries U.S. 93, a key highway linking Las Vegas and Phoenix.

``…The security net that the FBI, other federal agencies and Las Vegas police are building in southern Nevada got a boost after Special Agent in Charge Ellen Knowlton's arrival in June. She brought a background including national security and counterintelligence experience in Washington, D.C.

``Within a month, a joint terrorism task force including the FBI, U.S. Attorney's Office, Las Vegas police, Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Secret Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms was beefed up…”

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