FBI report shows violent, property crimes down in Las Vegas, Reno

A preliminary crime report from the FBI shows reports of violent crime and property crimes were down in the Las Vegas area and Reno during the first half of 2010.

The report released Monday shows violent crime reports down nearly
4.6 percent in the area encompassing Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and Henderson. Reports were up
2.4 percent in Henderson.

Violent crime reports were off
21.5 percent in Reno from January through June this year, compared with the same time frame in 2009.

National numbers from the FBI's semiannual uniform crime report show violent crime reports dropped
6.2 percent during the period.

Property crime reports nationally were 2.8 percent lower. Reports of property crime are down by much higher percentages in Nevada:
12.7 percent in the Las Vegas area and 11.5 percent in Reno.

The report measures crime reports from cities with at least 100,000 residents.

In the Las Vegas area, crime dropped in every area except aggravated assault, which rose 6.1 percent to 4,664 reports during the first half of the year. The area has a population of 1.87 million.

The FBI said motor vehicle theft reports dropped by one-third in the Las Vegas area, the biggest drop among any crime classification. Nationally, motor vehicle theft reports were down
9.7 percent.