Despite battles downtown, crime rate on decline in valley

Tuesday, Dec. 22, 1998 | 11:31 a.m.

Despite the constant battle against crime downtown, the crime rate in Las Vegas has actually gone down, both as a nationwide trend and in Las Vegas.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation's most recent Uniform Crime Report -- a barometer of the direction crime is taking around the nation -- says crimes reported to police have been declining for the past six years.

Nationwide, the overall number of crimes per 100,000 people fell 2.4 percent in 1997 from 1996. In Las Vegas, they were down 2 percent. Even though the number of crimes in the valley is growing, they're not growing as fast as the population.

The good news for Las Vegas is that the overall decline reflects a 14 percent decline in murder over the previous year, a 1 percent drop in robbery, an 8 percent drop in larceny-theft and a 3 percent decline in crime against property.

It also includes a 14 percent increase in forcible rape, a 4 percent increase in aggravated assault, a 7 percent increase in burglary, a 4 percent increase in auto theft and a 2 percent increase in crimes against persons.

Some criminologists say there is a decline in crime nationwide because the population is aging and, as a rule, younger people tend to commit the crimes.

And, they say, those who are convicted of a crime are spending more time in prison.

"Increased time served, particularly for violent crimes, is a product of tougher parole boards and such measures as longer minimum sentences and truth-in-sentencing laws that require that more of each sentence be served behind bars," says Allen J. Beck, author of a report by the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics.

So if the crime rate seems to be on the wane, why are the people trying to reinvigorate downtown worried?

Maybe because, even with a decline, Nevada is still one of the most dangerous states in the nation.

According to a Kansas-based research organization, Morgan Quinto Press, Nevada ranks No.2 in murders per 100,000 population, No. 5 in rape, No. 3 in robbery, No. 12 in assault, No. 8 in burglary and No. 6 in theft of motor vehicles.

Morgan Quinto Press ranks Nevada No. 3 in its list of dangerous states, behind Louisiana and Florida.

Scott Morgan, head of the research group, said crimes were weighted to reflect those Americans fear most.

Morgan ranked Nevada No. 1 in 1996 and 1997.

Terance Miethe, professor of criminology at UNLV, views crime statistics with the eye of a skeptic.

"Like anything else, they're one indicator," he said. "But do people feel safe in the community? If they are afraid to walk the street at night, it says something.

"But to say crime has increased or decreased isn't saying anything. We don't really know why."

Miethe points out the obvious problems in dealing with crime statistics.

"There are true crimes and crimes known to the police. The basic problem is that most crime is known to police through citizen contact, not observed by police," explained Miethe.

The true gatekeepers of crime statistics are civilians who either witness crimes or are victims of crime, and many crimes go unreported and so don't make it into the statistics.

"It's hard to validate the numbers," said Miethe.

Crime statistics may be undercounted or overcounted, intentionally or unintentionally.

"It's ridiculous to think only 574 rapes occurred in Clark County last year, but according to Metro's data, that's the number," said Miethe.

Miethe says the official data on a major crime like murder is probably valid because it is hard for a murder, or other major crime, to go unnoticed.

But for the less serious crimes, such as burglary, simple assault, larceny and other categories, a decrease in the crime rate may reflect the attitude of the public rather than a genuine drop in crimes committed.

"People get fed up and don't call the police," he said.

Miethe says many factors contribute to Nevada's high crime incidence, such as a large transient population -- people have less stable ties here.

Another factor is age.

"A lot of younger people are moving here, and young people commit the crimes," he said.

The most crime-prone years, he said, are ages 18 to 25.

"They dream of making big money, and the frustration caused by not achieving that dream may create greater rates of anger frustration, road rage," said Miethe.

Overall, he said, the lifestyle of Las Vegas is not "conducive to a sense of wellness," and as a result people fall into a criminal frame of mind.

"This is a 24-hour town, and there is a lack of supervision of kids. Mom and dad work all hours of the day and there's no one home with the kids, there's no supervision of youth and when there's no supervision kids are running around doing stupid things," he said.

Because the largest part of the Las Vegas population is new, there are no extended families, no longstanding tradition of grandparents who look after kids.

"There is less social control here because of its newness, a lack of a sense of community," said Miethe.

The high drop-out rate, one of the highest in the country, is another contributing factor.

"There are whole groups of kids not being educated," he notes.

And without an education, they are not going to get the higher-paying jobs, giving them financial incentive to commit crimes.

The FBI crime statistics may not be accurate, but they are a good comparison of crime in Las Vegas with crime in other jurisdiction, said Joe Niemiec, chairman of the Criminology Department at the Community College of Southern Nevada.

And, says the former lawman from the Chicago area, Las Vegans can be proud of Metro Police.

"It's a first-rate, professional organization," he said. "One of the top 10 police organizations in the United States."