Nevada lawmakers call on DHS to reconfigure risk assessment, urban security funding formula for Las Vegas

Citing the Las Vegas mass shooting that left 58 concert goers dead in October, Nevada lawmakers called on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to reconfigure the funding formula for its Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) grant program on Friday.

In a letter to Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, U.S. Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV) and other members of Nevada’s congressional delegation also for reevaluation of Las Vegas’ risk profile to better reflect the tourism economy.

“In light of the Oct. 1 tragedy that took the lives of 58 innocent people at a country music festival, as well as continued threats posed by foreign terror organizations, we believe this formula must accurately assess each city’s vulnerability, threat and consequence of a terrorist attack,” the letter stated. “(Nielsen’s) department also must rely on data that fairly analyzes each city. We believe that the current formula fails to accurately depict certain data points that impact the consequence component, specifically the determination of level 1 and level 2 assets, and ignores the impact of tourism on localities.”

More than 1 million tourists visit Las Vegas each week, and more than 20,000 conventions and large-scale events are also hosted in the city each year. However, the lawmakers argue that tourism and the city’s special event assessment rating (SEAR) are not reflected in its current risk profile.

“Once again, in light of the threats posed by acts of terrorism to the Las Vegas Strip, the Nevada congressional delegation is committed to ensuring the Las Vegas Valley has the necessary resources to prevent or respond to a terrorist threat, and we are united in our efforts to make the necessary changes to the MSA Risk profile,” the letter stated. “It is our hope that (Nielsen) will take into consideration the unique challenges that Las Vegas faces as a premier tourist destination as you continue working to prevent terror attacks in the United States.”