Car Theft City: Las Vegas

A recent article was published where Las Vegas was ranked as the city where you are most likely to get your car stolen. It caught my attention, because I couldn't imagine car theft rings operating in the heavily guarded casino garages.

To my surprise, they mentioned three neighborhoods close to each other, all in the Westside neighborhood. To those of you familiar with Las Vegas's segregated past, the Westside was the traditional black neighborhood where the sidewalks weren't even paved until the 1970's. You mostly have to talk about having enough "street cred" to even go there at night. I doubt anyone on this website has enough "street cred" to pass muster.

From the Police Department website: In 1984, the Gang Diversion Unit was formed to combat the growing gang activity and their involvement in drug sales, a problem then primarily on the west side of Las Vegas. So the Westside has more serious problems than car theft.

There was some serious car theft problems in San Diego, where the high end shopping centers, businesses and stadium were patrolled and cars were stolen and driven across the border into Mexico.

I think that the article should mention that you need to stay out of the ghetto in Las Vegas. Not that the city is #1 for car thefts.

The TV show Cop's spends more time in Vegas than any other city. I wonder why..

Las Vegas has been described as East Los Angeles with casinos.
Car thefts are probably high because tourists and rental cars increase the 'per resident' statistics.

Different enforcement procedures result in different types of crimes being popular.

Its an easy crime for the cops to keep going after and racking up great statistics. Actually ending the theft rings would be an end to those glowing crime statistics about perpetrators being caught. Catch an endless supply of losers and its good for the statistics. Put GPS bugs in the cars and track them beyond the initial theft, now that requires too much work. Besides, those chop shops and export rings are often "friendly" with the police in many cities.

Many high-end car thieves now scan stolen cars with mirrors looking for GPS units on the underside and scan electronically as well.

But the people in San Diego who have their cars stolen are normal middle class people. If you have your car stolen in Westside, Las Vegas you are one of the very small number of residents, or you are there to by drugs.