Las Vegas auto theft rate drops 13 percent

Jen Lawson

Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2004 | 11:02 a.m.

Since Metro Police launched an aggressive approach to combatting auto theft earlier this year, the monthly rate of vehicles stolen has dropped by 13 percent, according to statistics released Tuesday by the department.

Capt. Rick Bilyeu, who is credited with developing and leading the initiative, hailed the change, given that Las Vegas was recently listed as fourth in the nation for per-capita incidents of auto theft for 2003 by the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

"If we keep going the way we're going, I can see us out of the top 10," Bilyeu said.

But the statistics still indicate that there were more vehicles stolen in November than in any previous month and that there was only one month this year in which fewer vehicles were stolen than in the same month of 2003 -- October.

The department began its anti-auto-theft initiative in February in the wake of a 21 percent increase in auto theft in Las Vegas and unincorporated Clark County in 2003.

And in January and February of this year, Metro's jurisdiction experienced a 21.1 percent and 21.5 percent increase in auto thefts, respectively, according to Metro records.

Since the initiative began, the department has reduced the rate of increase to eight percent, it said.

"We've got those double-digit increases down to single-digit increases, and we're happy about that," Bilyeu said. If population increases were taken into account the per-capita increases would be even lower, he added.

The cornerstone of the initiative is a stepped-up approach to evidence gathering and prosecution. It involves a number of Metro departments, including the repeat offender unit, chop-shop investigators, patrol and general assignment officers as well as the Clark County district attorney's office.

Knowing that a large number of auto thefts are committed by a small group of people, police sought to make their cases stronger by improving how they gathered evidence so that prosecutors could put these habitual offenders in jail.

Prosecutors have reviewed 2,377 auto theft cases since the initiative started and 411 suspects qualified for enhanced prosecution.

The criteria for the enhancement is one past conviction for an auto-related crime -- grand larceny auto, possession of a stolen vehicle, burglarizing a vehicle, evading police, tampering with a vehicle or taking a vehicle without the owner's consent -- or three arrests within a year for a such a crime.

Of those 411 suspects, 279 were still in custody as of Dec. 15, Bilyeu said.

Police are encouraging the public to do its part in reducing car theft by not leaving keys in vehicles. In about 20 percent of auto theft cases motorists had left the keys in the vehicles, police said.

Police also warn that 35 to 40 percent of stolen vehicles are taken from apartment complexes.

Vehicle owners can sign up for the "Watch Your Car" program, available in Las Vegas and Henderson. If drivers don't usually drive between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. they can agree to have their car stopped by police if it's on the road during those hours.

Applications are available at any area command or at City Hall.