Friday, Nov. 1, 2002 | 9:48 a.m.
Violent crime increased last year in Las Vegas, according to statistics released this week by the FBI.
Homicides, rapes and robberies were up a total of 18 percent.
But how are the numbers shaping up for this year?
Comparing the year-to-date numbers with the numbers from the same period last year -- January through October -- homicides in Las Vegas are down 4.8 percent.
Between Jan. 1, 2002, and Oct. 28, 2002, there were 120 homicides, according to Metro Police. There were 126 during the same period in 2001.
Sexual abuse against children is also down by 13 percent. There were 729 reports of child sexual abuse between Jan. 1, 2002 and Sept. 30, 2002, and 837 during the same period last year, according to Metro Police Lt. Jeff Carlson.
However, sexual assaults against adults and robberies increased.
The number of reported sexual assaults rose 28 percent. Between Jan. 1, 2002, and Sept. 30, 2002, there were 1,647 sexual assaults reported. During the same period last year, 1,282 were reported.
"There are more people moving into town, and more people reporting it," Carlson said, explaining the increase.
But these numbers may not give an accurate picture of what's actually happening: Two to three times as many sexual assaults occur than are reported, Carlson said.
The FBI's Uniform Crime Report, released Monday, has a restrictive definition of rape, Carlson explained. While Metro includes all forms of sexual assault in its numbers, the FBI only counts male to female "forcible" rape.
Last year, 447 forcible rapes were reported, according to the UCR.
Lt. Ted Snodgrass blamed the economy, in part, for the 10.3 percent increase in robberies. Also, he said, a parolee dubbed the "Tattoo Bandit" committed two dozen robberies this year.
"That just killed us," Snodgrass said.
Henderson's violent crime rate for this year is keeping pace with last year's numbers.
There have been four homicides in Henderson between Jan. 1 and Oct. 28 of this year, and nine during the same period last year.
The number of robberies was consistent, Officer Shane Wilson said. There were 93 robberies between Jan. 1 and June 30 of 2001 and 2002.
There were 66 sexual assaults between Jan. 1, 2002 and Aug. 31, 2002, and 69 during the same period in 2001.
In North Las Vegas, violent crime rates for 2001 couldn't be broken down by month, Lt. Art Redcay said, and crime rates for only the first seven months of this year were available.
Although it's not a balanced comparison, Redcay said it appears North Las Vegas may have slightly more crime this year than last.
North Las Vegas had 20 homicides last year, and 12 between Jan. 1 and July 31 of this year.
There were 433 robberies in 2001, and 266 between January and July.
Fifty sexual assaults were reported last year, and 27 were reported between January and July.
"There hasn't been a huge jump in crime, but if I look at 2001 and 2002, we're probably ahead of last year's numbers," Redcay said.
Terry Miethe, professor of criminal justice at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said the increase in some crimes can be blamed, to some extent, on the increasing population of the region.
Clark County's population as of July 2002 was 1,584,053. The population in July 2001 was 1,498,279, according to Clark County Comprehensive Planning.
However, Miethe said the population increase isn't the only factor.
The transiency of Las Vegans and lack of community ties leads to more crime -- Miethe calls it a "dine-and-dash" atmosphere. Drug and alcohol use also comes into play, as does Nevada's high school dropout rate. The effect of gambling on crime is inconclusive, he said.
"These types of social problems are a breeding ground for some kinds of predatory crime," Miethe said. "The lifestyle of Las Vegas is damaging."
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