Fight calls typically occupy Las Vegas police on Labor Day
Over the last five years, dispatch logs show that Las Vegas officers have responded to more reports of fights and disturbances than any other police call for service each Labor Day.
In the Metropolitan Police Department dispatch logs, such calls are coded as “416s.” Metro officer Larry Hadfield said a 416 call can include a fight or any general disturbance like loud music or people racing rumbling motorcycles up and down a street.
The calls are often reported in passing, Hadfield said, which means witnesses often leave the scene. Because of that, they don’t often result in reports or arrests.
“A passerby may be likely to report some guys fighting and keep on driving,” Hadfield said.
He compared the call to an assault, which typically involves a person who has been hurt and calls with plans to file a police report.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal examined Metro dispatch logs for each Labor Day from 2016 to 2020. Last year, fight or disturbance calls accounted for 500 of the more than 1,700 calls police received on Labor Day.
Among those calls was for a brawl at Encore, first reported as a 416, according to dispatch logs.
In a news conference after Labor Day last year, Las Vegas police said officers arrested dozens of people on assault and battery charges. Wynn Las Vegas increased its room rates and filed a trespassing lawsuit against 20 people after the casino floor fight.
The second- and third-highest reported Labor Day calls each year were domestic disturbances — which include fights among people who live in the same home — followed by reports of suspicious people or cars.
Metro received an average of 222 domestic disturbance calls each Labor Day over the five-year period.