Last fall, police dressed officers in strange but timely costumes to grab drivers' attention in safety events. (FOX5 FILE)LAS VEGAS (FOX5) -
Police on Tuesday planned to use tactics, including the unusual practice of dressing an officer in a 6-foot orange traffic cone, to educate drivers and pedestrians on rules of the road.
An enforcement event targeting drivers and walkers was slated near downtown Las Vegas as a response to the already rising rate of pedestrian fatalities this year, according to organization Safe Community Partnership.
Erin Breen, the organization's director, said Clark County's fatality count in 2012 is already greater than all of 2011 for pedestrians.
She said fatalities often occur due to driver error but can be accounted on pedestrian error, as well.
Officers planned to enforce an area at Foremaster and Main streets, where, organizers said, a mid-block crosswalk was recently painted.
In addition, an officer dressed in a large orange traffic cone was planning to walk across the street as part of the event. Organizers said they hope drivers will use proper judgment when yielding to the attention-grabbing officer and slow down when approaching the crosswalk.
Officers were also looking for pedestrians who fail to yield to vehicles.
The safety event was scheduled from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
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