Metro sees good news in crime statistics this year

Dan Kulin

Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2004 | 9:28 a.m.

After seeing a 13 percent jump in the crime rate for the most serious offenses last year, Metro Police are on pace for a 1 percent increase in that crime rate this year, thanks largely to better trends in the numbers for robbery, theft and auto theft, according to department crime statistics through the end of August.

The rate of those crimes in Las Vegas and the unincorporated parts of Clark County that comprise Metro's jurisdiction are not all decreasing, but they are all at least increasing more slowly than they did from 2002 to 2003, the statistics showed.

The more serious, or Part 1, crimes include murder, rape, robbery, auto theft, larceny-theft, burglary and felony assault. The crime rate measures the frequency of crimes per 100,000 people, and so takes into account increases in population.

The figures came after the annual FBI Uniform Crime Report released Monday showed that violent crime in Las Vegas and unincorporated Clark County increased by 2 percent last year while declining by 3.2 percent nationwide.

Metro had a roughly 5 percent increase in homicides: 138 in 2002 compared with 145 last year. Nationally homicide rose 1.1 percent.

Police Undersheriff Doug Gillespie said Metro has spurred improvements this year after changing some strategies and launching new efforts, including shifting more patrol officers and special units to high-crime neighborhoods and working with the district attorney's office to secure jail time for repeat offenders. Gillespie would not give additional details.

But even with the relatively good news about the crime rate this year compared with last, Gillespie said it is still important for voters to approve a ballot question that asks residents to support a sales tax increase to pay for more officers in departments throughout Clark County.

Gillespie said statistics from several consecutive years should be looked at to get a truer picture of crime trends, and that, although he is encouraged by the slower increase so far this year in serious crime, "We were up 14 percent over two years ago."

"We feel we are at a point where, if we don't supplement our uniformed patrol force, we feel that number will continue to rise," he said, referring to the crime rate.

Also, with the ever-increasing population in the area, more police are needed to keep up with the added demands on the department, he said.

The police funding question, No. 9 on the Clark County ballot, asks voters to support raising the sales tax by 1/4 cent in July 2005 and an additional 1/4 cent in July 2009. That would bring the sales tax to 8 percent in 2009.

The question is an advisory question, which means if it passes, police would still have to get approval next year from the Nevada Legislature and the Clark County Commission to raise the sales tax. The Legislature, which meets next year, would be asked to give the county authority to levy the tax hike. The county commission would then have to give final approval to the increase.

'The valley population continues to grow, and so do our calls for service," Gillespie said. "Compared to this time last year, we're at a 13 percent increase in calls for service. It pulls officers away from proactive projects ... It's so important we get more on the field."

Metro currently has about 2,000 police officers. The sales tax increase, if approved is expected to provide enough money to add roughly 1,300 officers during the next 12 years.

The rate of robberies showed the most significant drop with 12 percent, while assaults posted the highest rate of increase with 10 percent.

Murders were also down, with 81 this year compared with 87 for the same eight months in 2003.

The Uniform Crime Report shows that, in addition to homicides rising 5 percent, robbery in Metro's jurisdiction rose 4 percent, from 3,776 in 2002 to 3,955 last year. Rape increased 3 percent, from 494 in 2002 to 511 in 2003.

Larceny/theft was the property crime that increased at the greatest rate in Metro's jurisdiction last year, according to the FBI report. In 2003 there were 30,052 cases reported and 24,204 in 2002, for a 24 percent jump.

When comparing the first eight months of this year to the same in 2003, the number of larcenies and thefts increased by about 180, but the rate was 3 percent lower due to population growth.

Motor vehicle theft in Metro's jurisdiction rose 17 percent in 2003 compared with the year before, and burglary climbed 14 percent, the report says.

The most recent statistics from Metro show that auto theft continues to increase, but is on pace for a 7 percent increase instead of a double-digit gain.

Burglary is on pace for a 6 percent increase.