Over the last several years, crime rates have risen in many major cities across the United States including Las Vegas and Clark County. In 2013, Nevada was ranked 2nd in the country for violent crimes including murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault. While these facts can be frightening and important to keep in mind, there are several things to keep in mind when analyzing the statistics. Las Vegas has countless tourists on any given day who also influence crime rate statistics.
Statistics can be overwhelming and daunting, but again it is important to keep things in perspective. The statistics provided by websites that rank cities and states tend to misrepresent the reality that the numbers indicate, failing to take into account factors such as a fluctuating population due the high level of tourism. The ‘crimes capita’ numbers are usually based on the number of permanent residents in an area and without accommodating for the number of tourists can elevate crime rates. Any state with an unbalanced visitor-to-resident ratio will always have crime statistics that look worse than they are. Nevada’s ratio is 20-to-1.
The likelihood of you being a victim of a crime in Las Vegas, or any city for that matter, has more to do with whom you associate with than any other factor. There are countless Las Vegas residents that will never be involved in a crime, commit a crime, or be the victim of a crime.
The Crime In The United States Report, which is completed by the FBI every year, covers eight different kinds of crimes, both violent and non-violent. In the 2013 report it was found that 600 crimes were being committed per every 100,000 people in the state. The report also found that a high poverty rate and low education rate, which often contributes to higher crime rates as well. The most prevalent crimes in the state included robbery, motor vehicle theft, aggravated assault, burglary and forcible rape.
In Las Vegas, crime rates are often higher than the state average; this goes without taking into account the hundreds of thousands of tourists that visit the area every day.
Today Las Vegas faces similar challenges. The overall Las Vegas crime rate is 16% higher than the Nevada average and 37% higher than that of the country, with the violent crime rate 32% higher.
According to police,murder rates in the Las Vegas valley increased over 100% from 2015 to 2016. Las Vegas Valley police reported investigations of over 100 homicides in the first six months of 2017. For reference, 2016 ended with a total of 222 homicides across the valley.This, unfortunately, follows a national trend. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has said that the nationwide murder rate has increased by 10%, the biggest jump since 1968.
Carl E.G. Arnold of CEGA Criminal Law was named a Top 10 Criminal Defense Attorney in Las Vegas and a Top 100 Trial Attorney in the Nation. Contact us today for full-service criminal defense throughout Las Vegas and surrounding cities.
CEGA CRIMINAL LAW, Inc.
1428 South Jones Blvd Las Vegas, NV 89146
702-358-1138
