Metro Police Sgt. Peter Ferranti with a body-worn camera on his shoulder during a media event Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2014, at the Mohave Training Center.
Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2015 | 7:55 p.m.
When it comes to spending police money effectively, Las Vegas ranks near the bottom of a list of the country’s biggest cities, according to a survey released today by personal finance website WalletHub.
Researchers ranked the country's 110 most densely populated cities, placing Las Vegas 77th on the list and Reno at 78th.
Using finance data from the U.S. Census Bureau and crime statistics from the FBI, WalletHub compared the cities by calculating a “safety rate” using crime stats and dividing that number by how much tax money the cities spend on police protection.
The researchers came up with a list ranked in order of the return on investment in per capita spending for police protection adjusted for poverty and unemployment rates as well as median household income.
The study, which used 2011 data, found that Las Vegas spends about $329 per capita on police protection. The city’s crime rate was also ranked as the 106th highest, making it one of the most dangerous big cities in the country.
Even with help from state and federal financing, cities foot much of the bill for public safety. According to census data, local governments pay for nearly 90 percent of the country’s police protection, which added up to 97 billion in 2012.
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