Crime rates falling in downtown Las Vegas

Crime rates are falling in downtown Las Vegas according to a report that is good news for an area often slighted as foreboding to tourists and suburban residents.

In a report to the City Council on Wednesday, Las Vegas police Capt. Richard Collins detailed crime statistics for the area. According to the Downtown Area Command, violent crime fell 5.19 percent from January through May 26 compared with the same period last year.

The biggest drop was an 11.25 percent decline in assault and battery. Homicide remained unchanged at 4 percent during each period, and sexual assault increased 8.16 percent from 49 to 53.

Property crimes fell 2 percent overall, with a 6 percent decrease in burglary and an 8.4 percent increase in auto theft.

In the downtown core from January through April, an area defined as Fremont Street from Main to 15th including one block on each side, the total number of incidents was down 23 percent. The biggest decrease was a 35 percent drop in gun calls, according to the report.

"The statistics are pretty impressive," Ward 4 Councilman and Mayor Pro Tem Stavros Anthony said. "When you are walking around downtown, you feel like it is a safe area."

Ward 3 Councilman Bob Coffin, however, said more needs to be done to reduce crime, particularly in residential neighborhoods.

"It is a crime wave if something happened on your street," Coffin said. "It is not if it didn't."

Contact reporter Benjamin Spillman at bspillman@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0285.