North Las Vegas: Serious crimes on the decline

Cheryl Miller

Thursday, July 22, 1999 | 11:20 a.m.

Serious crime has dropped more than 7 percent in four years in North Las Vegas, a city tagged by critics as a haven for gang activity, drugs and thefts.

Between 1994 and 1998, the number of homicides dropped 27 percent, reported rapes were down 34 percent and aggravated assaults decreased by nearly 32 percent, according to a preliminary report issued by an independent firm auditing the North Las Vegas Police Department.

The final report is still two or three months away from completion, Lt. Chris Larotonda, a police department spokesman, said. But the department is pleased with the figures, he said, particularly with the numbers that show the incidence of crime per 1,000 residents down almost 40 percent.

"The numbers are pretty good," Larotonda said.

The reported crime crop is good news for a city that has struggled for years with an image -- undeserved, city officials say -- as a place filled with drugs, blight and mean streets. A 1994 survey found that North Las Vegas had Nevada's highest crime rate and ranked as America's 13th most violent city.

The city's falling crime rate reflects a national trend. Violent crimes and property crimes both fell 7 percent in early 1998, according to FBI statistics. Metro police reported a 12 percent drop in serious crimes between 1997 and 1998.

Part of the crime drop in North Las Vegas may be credited to its booming growth. The city has grown from 40,000 residents to nearly 100,000 since the 1990 census, and the crime rate has not kept pace with the population growth.

North Las Vegas also has added 48 commissioned officers to its police force between 1994 and 1998.

But Larotonda also thinks the drop can be credited to a renewed emphasis on community policing. Officers are encouraged to get to know residents, their neighborhoods and their concerns, he said. Two officers are assigned full time to bicycle patrols, which allows them more personal contact with people living in apartment complexes and on residential blocks, he said.

The force also is working with the city to demolish abandoned buildings and clean up lots in an attempt to discourage criminal activity.

"Just going out and arresting people is not always the best, all-encompassing way to handle things," Larotonda said. "When we can solve a problem permanently, we can avoid dozens of arrests in the future."

Of the seven categories of crime reviewed by the North Las Vegas report, only burglary and vehicle thefts showed increases over the last four years.