Las Vegas in Need of Federal Counter-Terrorism Assistance

Las Vegas in Need of Federal Counter-Terrorism Assistance

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According to many, the American government is failing to provide Las Vegas and other large parts of Nevada with adequate resources  to combat terrorism in major American cities. One of the main reasons for this is that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which administers the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI), one of the key funding mechanisms, uses a flawed methodology that undervalues Las Vegas when determining which cities receive funding.

This means that Las Vegas, a destination for more than 42 million annual visitors, is on the verge of being denied millions of dollars in counterterrorism assistance year after year. Many, including writers of the Las Vegas Sun, expect Washington to adapt the UASI funding formula to accurately reflect the real-world threat environment facing America’s cities.

While DHS assesses the relative terrorism risk in the 100 most populous metropolitan statistical areas throughout the United States, only a fraction of those urban areas ultimately see any funding. In recent years, fewer than 30 metropolitan statistical areas have received UASI dollars, with Las Vegas consistently on the brink of being on the outside looking in.

A year without and funding had many implications. It means less access to advanced counterterrorism and emergency-response training, fewer replacements for aging and outdated equipment, and a deteriorated overall readiness posture to keep pace with ever-evolving terrorism threats.

Even though Las Vegas is home to fine and capable law enforcement agencies as well as private-sector companies at the cutting edge of security technology and innovation, this is a wakeup call to remind the federal government that Las Vegas needs its federal partners to continue being the city that the whole world knows.