Police fear hike in murder rate due to cuts at UMC

Keith Paul

Thursday, June 20, 2002 | 11:06 a.m.

The murder rate in the Las Vegas area will rise if University Medical Center's trauma center is closed or hours cut back, according to a Metro Police homicide report released to the Sun on Wednesday.

"The forecast for the future homicide rate for the (Metro Police) jurisdiction is not optimistic," homicide unit Lt. Tom Monahan wrote in the report. "If the predictions hold true, and the University Medical Center trauma center must cut back hours of operation, or if because of the shortage of trauma surgeons, there is a significant delay in lifesaving efforts, then the homicide rate will rise."

The annual report breaks down the 138 slayings in 2001 into various statistics with Monahan pointing out while the number of slayings did end a four-year decline in the number of homicides, the number of slayings per 100,000 residents was the same -- 12 -- as it was in 1999 when there were 113 homicides.

This year there have been 70 homicides so far in Metro's jurisdiction -- Las Vegas and unincorporated Clark County -- compared to 72 at the same point last year.

However Monahan said the rising cost of medical malpractice insurance -- leading some trauma surgeons to say they would no longer work at the hospital's trauma center -- is leading to concern that the care given to those shot, stabbed and severely beaten could be altered.

"Those individuals who would previously survive the injuries because of medical intervention will now die (if no immediate trauma care is available)," Monahan wrote. "What would have been a battery with a deadly weapon will become a murder."

The trauma center will remain open and fully staffed this month and the same is expected next month, said Dr. John Ellerton, UMC chief of staff.

"Our effort is to try our best to keep it open," he said. "We hope the docs will stick in there during this while we try to find the solutions."

Statistics do not show a clear correlation to the trauma center and the homicides per capita. However, in the years following the center's opening in 1989 and it being accredited as a major, level 1 center, the rate per capita did decrease.

Police say there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that the trauma center has saved victims that investigators thought would die because of the seriousness of their wounds.

If the trauma center were ever to close, patients would be taken to whichever emergency room was designated at the time as the place to take severely wounded people -- which is what occurred before the trauma center opened.

However unlike normal emergency rooms, UMC's trauma center has trauma surgeons available and specialists on call.

Doctors, attorneys and insurance companies are meeting, trying to come up with a solution to the crisis. Gov. Kenny Guinn said he would call a special session of the Nevada Legislature if a compromise is reached.

Sheriff Jerry Keller said over the past decade the opening of the trauma center and helicopter transportation of critically injured people has helped save lives.

"There are people alive today because of those life saving efforts," Keller said. "If that resource diminishes, I am sure there are some people who may not have as much opportunity."

Keller said while he was at a meeting of the Major City Chiefs Association, just about every department reported an increase in the homicide rate. The Las Vegas area saw the number of homicides fall each year since 1996 when a record was set with 168 slayings. In each of the next four years there was a decrease with 149 in 1997, 124 in 1998, 119 in 1999 and 95 in 2000.

The report also debunks a popular theory that the economy has a direct impact on the number of homicides. In January 2001, when the economy was relatively strong, there were 20 homicides -- the most for a single month last year.

After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, theories were put forth predicting a decrease in violent crime as American pulled together. The number of slayings as compared to 2000 does not support that theory, Monahan said.

The number of homicides in October 2001 was the same as in October 2000 -- 12. The numbers were about the same in month of November 2000 and 2001 and the number of slayings in December 2001 -- 12 -- were double that of December 2000.

While the the number of slayings increased in 2001 and remains about the same this year, most Las Vegas Valley residents have a much better chance of getting their car stolen than being a victim of a homicide.

"If you are not a gang member, dealing drugs, committing crimes or in an abusive relationship, then you are not likely to become a victim of a homicide," Monahan said in an interview about the report.

Metro was slightly below the national average last year for solving homicides with 61 percent of the 138 slayings solved. The national average is 69 percent and the average for cities with 1 million or more residents is 64.8 percent.