Home Subscribe Las Vegas Review-Journal
  Jobs Cars Homes Shopping Travel Weddings Golf Best of Las Vegas Photo   Search:

RECENT EDITIONS
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

News
Jan. 16, 2008
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Police see fall in some crimes

In 2007, number of homicides, rapes, auto thefts declined

By ANTONIO PLANAS
REVIEW-JOURNAL

When Sheriff Doug Gillespie looks out the windows of his eighth-floor office overlooking downtown Las Vegas, he says he sees a city that his officers made safer in 2007.

Annual crime statistics released Tuesday by the Metropolitan Police Department indicate he might be right. Crime was down last year in four key categories, including the one for which Clark County was labeled the worst in the nation: auto thefts. The number of rapes came down after hitting a high in 2006, and last year's homicide total was the lowest in years.

Also, fewer people died last year on the roads of Las Vegas and unincorporated Clark County. The 2007 traffic death toll of 132 was the lowest since 2003.

But Las Vegas police also saw increases in aggravated assaults and burglaries.

Most Popular Stories
  • LANDLORD: AS TENANT, FLEISS FOR THE BIRDS
  • Experience Ending
  • NORM: Owner Jay-Z says 40/40 Club is fine
  • JUDICIAL DISCIPLINE COMMISSION: Panel suspends Halverson
  • 1958 CRASH: DEATH IN DESERT AIR
  • CALICO BASIN: Tranquillity lost
  • NORM: 'Idol' contestant set to go country
  • NORM: Jackson in action possibly in Vegas
  • NORM: Cruise the object of a twin crush
  • NORM: Oprah to tape in LV with Tina, Cher



    • Gillespie said a primary factor in the improvements has been that more officers are patrolling the streets, and he plans to apply the additional resources to bringing down more of the crime numbers this year. The department has added 254 officers since the Clark County sales tax increase of a quarter-cent to hire police was started in 2005.

    "Cops in uniforms driving in black and whites make a difference," Gillespie said.

    Reducing traffic deaths had been one of Gillespie's goals when he took over as sheriff a year ago, and having the additional officers helped him do that. More officers have been assigned to the department's patrol section, and patrol officers cracked down on motorists for traffic offenses that can kill, including speeding, not obeying traffic signals and not wearing seat belts, Gillespie said.

    The department wrote about 25,000 traffic citations in 2007 compared with about 20,000 in 2006.

    The annual total of auto thefts fell by 17 percent in 2007. Police credited the use of new tactics, bait cars and a beefed-up auto theft unit. In December, police announced that the bait car program begun by the Las Vegas police would expand to include Henderson and North Las Vegas police and the Nevada Highway Patrol.

    The Vehicle Investigations Project for Enforcement and Recovery, which includes the three other police agencies, was reorganized. It was split into two teams, one that goes after professional car thieves and chop shops, and another that goes after joy riders and people who steal vehicles to commit other crimes.

    But the department saw increases in aggravated assaults by 6 percent from 2006 to 2007 totaling 9,454 incidents. Burglaries went up by nearly 3 percent from 2006 to 2007 with 17,724 burglaries.

    Gillespie said he is concerned about the trend of increases in burglaries and the fact that aggravated assaults have more than doubled since 2003. Gillespie said criminals might be resorting to burglary because Las Vegas police have clamped down on auto thefts and robberies.

    Pinpointing a reason for the decrease in homicides is more difficult. Some authorities have said preventing homicides can be the most difficult task of a police department because nobody can predict when someone's going to kill.

    Gillespie said he thinks some credit should go to Safe Village, a program launched in February in West Las Vegas.

    Under the program, a group of law enforcement and city officials and faith-based leaders respond to incidents of violence.

    The initiative has been successful in quelling retaliatory gun violence in gangs, Gillespie said. He hopes to expand the program to other high-crime areas in Las Vegas.

    While the number of murders went down in Las Vegas and unincorporated Clark County, North Las Vegas saw a 50 percent increase in homicides in 2007 when 33 people were slain, compared with 22 in 2006.

    Mark Hoyt, a spokesman for North Las Vegas police, was unable to come up for a reason for the increase except population growth.

    North Las Vegas' population rose to 215,026 in 2007, a 6.2 percent increase over the previous year.

    "It's hard to predict homicides and combat what you don't know is going to happen," Hoyt said.

    Gillespie said police are doing a great job protecting their communities, but the largest deterrent remains having neighbors watch out for each other.

    "We need the community's help," he said. "They are our eyes and ears. When they see something in their neighborhood that doesn't quite make sense, they need to call us."

    Contact reporter Antonio Planas at aplanas@reviewjournal.com or (702) 383-4638.

    Aggravated Assaults Have Doubled Since '03
    Below are totals of traffic deaths and some crimes in Las Vegas and unincorporated Clark County:
    2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
    Homicides 141 131 145 156 121
    Traffic deaths 126 145 184 163 132
    Rapes 511 605 616 948 886
    Aggravated assaults 4,551 5,318 5,275 8,936 9,454
    Robberies 3,955 3,729 3,404 5,333 5,138
    Auto thefts 14,718 16,165 19,950 19,450 16,240

    Source: Metropolitan Police Department
    Links powered by inform.com


    Leave Your Comment 14 Reader Comments
    Terms & Conditions
    The following comments are provided by readers and are the sole responsiblity of the authors. The reviewjournal.com does not review comments before publication nor guarantee their accuracy. By publishing a comment here you agree to abide by the comment policy. If you see a comment that violates the policy, please notify the web editor.

    Some comments may not display immediately due to an automatic filter. These comments will be reviewed within 48 hours. Please do not submit a comment more than once.
    Current Word Count:

    mission031 wrote on January 16, 2008 02:14 PM: Hey GOD, refer to my earlier post for your ridiculus question. Just because the news doesn't report every murder, rapist or robber who was arrested, doesn't mean it aint happening everyday in the valley. Why don't you call CCDC and ask them how many inmates they currently have incarcerated. Do you think that all these people turned themselves in??


    mission031 wrote on January 16, 2008 02:13 PM: Hey GOD, refer to my earlier post for your ridiculus question. Just because the news doesn't report every murder, rapist or robber who was arrested, doesn't mean it aint happening everyday in the valley. Why don't you call CCDC and ask them how many inmates they currently have incarcerated. Do you think that all these people turned themselves in?? Get a clue and get a grip! And while you're at it, take your girlfriend Jen out sometime; she's sick and tired of eating noodles and butter in your trailer!


    Geezelouise wrote on January 16, 2008 02:12 PM: Or perhaps Jill knows someone who has been arrested by our city's "finest" after they did zero investigation and then the DA prosecuted and won a wrongful conviction since she was defended by the Public Defender who is over worked and underbudgeted and who just didn't have the time of the money to devote to their case.

    Believe it or not, this story can be told by way too many people in this great state, so get off your soapbox about what a great job they are doing.

    The police can start to earn back the respect of the community by actually investigating crimes before they arrest people. It isn't good enough to get an arrest and conviction at any cost - the person convicted must be the perpetrator of the crime before it has any meaning.


    mission031 wrote on January 16, 2008 02:07 PM: Hey Jen, that "minor" offense that you disparingly speak of is what a "youngbuck cop" did a few months back...he ended up pulling over Chester Stiles. Quit your boo-hooing, if your vehicle is up to standards and your not committing moving violations, then you shouldn't have problems avoiding police contact. Does your ignorance ever diminish??


    Jen wrote on January 16, 2008 01:31 PM: Actually, Jill is probably one of the many, many, many people unjustly terrorized by cops in our valley. She probably had a broken taillight or some minor thing, got pulled over by an over-zealous or youngbuck cop, and was put through the ringer. But I guess we should all be grateful for Sgt. Coppy Coperton who nabs drivers like that. Let's leave busting real criminals to the local business owners and cornor cameras.


    EP Worrell wrote on January 16, 2008 11:34 AM: Jill probably dated a cop who dumped her for someone who was sane. What a twit, you now what I mean.


    GOD wrote on January 16, 2008 10:35 AM: I think everyone can agree that there is still way too much crime in Las Vegas!

    The only falling crime statistic is the steel workers who keep falling to their deaths at these unsafe construction sites.

    When has the police actually caught any of these murderers/rapists/robbers in the past years??? Remember call crimestoppers and do the police work for them.


    Doug Gillispie wrote on January 16, 2008 08:20 AM: I would just like to take this opprotunity to pat myself on the back. I'm doing on heckuva job running this terrorist state, er... I mean police department. Hopefully soon I will realize my dream of microchipping every clark county resident to constantly monitor their every move. If we track someone running to the drug store at 3am, they're probably buying cold medicine to make meth. I'm just getting word that a few inmates were released from lock up. Gotta go pull a few more people off the street to fill the spaces. I'm out.


    gt0vrit wrote on January 16, 2008 07:40 AM: I personally think Jill is a plant or just copies and pastes her same rant on each article. Jill some of what you say may be true but atleast name a specific instance instead of the same ole rant over and over. Make your comment relevant to the articles plz its old now.


    Oscar wrote on January 16, 2008 07:07 AM: My guess, is that she got popped on a DUI, and now, she is an advocate for fewer cops. Ha ha ha


    Read All Comments