Las Vegas has third-highest auto theft rate in U.S.

Sun Staff

Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2005 | 11:05 a.m.

The Las Vegas Valley had the third-highest auto theft rate in the nation in 2004, according to a study released today.

The study, conducted by the non-profit National Insurance Crime Bureau, found that there were 19,749 auto thefts in the Las Vegas Valley in 2004, 1,746 more than in 2003 when the valley had the fourth highest rate of auto thefts in the U.S.

The valley's auto theft rate for 2004 was 1,266 auto thefts for every 100,000 residents, the study noted.

Capt. Randy Montandon of Metro Police's financial property crime bureau. said that while "we have a serious auto theft problem; there's no doubt about that," the NICB used population figures from the 2000 Census to calculate the rates, and that makes the Las Vegas Valley look worse than it really is because it fails to take into account the explosive growth of the area in the last five years.

Montandon attributed the large number of auto thefts in Las Vegas in part to the transient nature of Nevada as well as the high number of automobiles here.

"It's a target-rich environment for auto thefts," he said.

The Northeast part of Las Vegas -- east of Eastern Avenue and north of Charleston Boulevard -- has the highest rate of auto theft in Metro's jurisdiction, he said. Honda Accords are the most stolen model of vehicles, followed by Toyota Camrys and Honda Civics, he said.

Most automobiles are stolen from open parking lots such as casino or mall parking lots and apartment complexes, he said, but added that vehicles parked in driveways are also frequently stolen.

"If you have a garage, use it. You wouldn't leave a bag of money on the curb," he said.

For the first seven and a half months of the year, there have been more vehicles reported stolen than in the comparable period of 2004.

From Jan. 1, 2005 to Aug. 16, 2005, there have been 11,750 automobiles reported stolen in Las Vegas and unincorporated Clark County, he said.

During the same time last year, there were 9,980 auto thefts in Metro's jursidiction, he said. The total for 2004 was 16,292.

He said Metro has started new initiatives to combat the high number of auto theft, including conducting on-scene preliminary investigations rather than doing telephone interviews with auto-theft victims.

"We are very busy, but auto theft is a priority," he said.

Nationwide, the number of auto thefts declined by 2.6 percent in 2004, NICB reported.

California continues to be the nation's top area for auto thefts. Seven of the ten cities with the highest rate of auto theft were in California, NICB stated. Modesto, Calif., was number one in the nation with Stockton-Lodi, Calif., coming in second, NICB stated.

More vehicles were stolen in Los Angeles in 2004 than anywhere in the country, although cars were more likely to be stolen in 20 other cities, NICB stated.

NICB said 73,071 cars were stolen in Los Angeles, about 53 percent more than the 40,749 thefts in second-place Chicago. But Los Angeles' per-capita total of 767.61 per 100,000 residents put it 21st behind such cities as Modesto, Stockton, San Diego, Miami and Denver.

"California has seen a steady increase in auto theft over the last five years," said Chief Adam Cuevas, commander of the California Highway Patrol's enforcement services division. "There are very often crimes related to auto theft, everything from robbery to a myriad of other crimes.

"We have done everything we can in our power, with our limited resources, to solve the problem."

In Los Angeles, car thefts fell by more than 2,000 from 2003, dropping it from 16 to 21 in the national per-capita rankings. Authorities attribute the decrease to the Los Angeles Police Department's use of computer statistics to pinpoint high-crime areas, as well as increased communication among detectives citywide.

"If they see a certain pattern that's developing, we're able to get to it much sooner," said Detective Lou Koven of the LAPD's auto theft detail. "They're calling more often for our input on problems.

"We're trying to be more responsive and more proactive. In the past, for good reason, the department has always put an emphasis on violent crime. They're understanding that auto theft is a big part of crime."

David Kihara and Los Angeles Daily News reporter Josh Kleinbaum contributed to this story.