NBA fans pose unique security challenges By Abigail Goldman <abigail.goldman@lasvegassun.com> Las Vegas Sun

Metro Police have been preparing for the NBA All-Star Game for at least a year, working out security plans so serious they're largely secret.
So what glimpse into the security effort are we getting when the mayor of Las Vegas says, over lunch with a bunch of businesspeople last week, that he'll have more police on the city streets, explaining, "I don't want to see some gangbangers or hip-hoppers knocking over a jewelry store at Fashion Show mall."
NBA All-Star week brings with it some unique security concerns. Like New Year's Eve on steroids, the All-Star festivities will lure thousands to the Strip. Police offi cials say the sheer scale of the event requires extra security precautions. In private, however, police officers confess they've never prepared for anything quite like this. Behind all that preparation and precaution, officers acknowledge, is a tacit trepidation of NBA fans, namely, those gangbangers and hip-hoppers.
Mayor Oscar Goodman's comment was likely off the cuff. When questioned about it two days later, the mayor took a more moderate stance, saying what he meant was, "The sheriff is going to make sure the community is safe and that there are no incidents that would sully our reputation."