Vegas-area leaders join sheriff in prayer for peace, safety

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Beneath flags lowered in mourning outside Las Vegas police headquarters, dozens of southern Nevada community, religious, police and political leaders called Friday for peace and prayers following shootings in Dallas, Louisiana and Minnesota that have stunned the nation.

Church pastor and religious community network leader Troy Martinez invoked the pre-Civil War words of President Abraham Lincoln, and said a house divided against itself cannot stand.

“We want to actively pursue peace in our city,” Martinez said as he called for leaders of religious faiths holding services Saturday and Sunday to talk with their congregations about stemming violence.

Muslim Imam Mujahid Ramadan noted the range of black, white, Latino, Sikh, Jewish and Christian representatives among the crowd of about 75 showing solidarity. He called for building on goodness in the community.

Jon Ponder, a preacher and leader of a prison release re-entry program, prayed for those affected by the shootings Thursday night of police officers in Dallas and the earlier slayings of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota.

Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman called the violence “heart wrenching, disturbing and sadly repetitive.”

Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo pointed to ties formed in recent years between his officers and community members in programs including RECAP, or Rebuilding Every City Around Peace.

“We want to stand up and say, ‘Not in our city,’” he said.

Las Vegas police drew scrutiny from the U.S. Justice Department’s office of Community Oriented Policing COPS and implemented a range of reforms beginning in 2013 after a series of high-profile officer-involved shootings over several years.

After the Dallas killings, Las Vegas patrol officers doubled up in patrol vehicles.

Sgt. Jeff Clark, a department spokesman, said Friday the move was a precaution and not a reaction to a specific threat. He said officers will continue to work in pairs, and cadets will be kept off the streets, for at least the time being.

Plans for a Friday night Las Vegas police honors and awards ceremony were unchanged, although Clark said security around the event will be tight.

Activists planned a Saturday evening rally at a Martin Luther King Jr. memorial in North Las Vegas.

Las Vegas has about 2,600 sworn police officers covering a city and most of a county with more than 2 million residents, plus more than 40 million visitors a year.