Crime_Rates_in_Northeast_Las_Vegas_and_the_“Strip”.

Crime rates in Northeast Las Vegas and the “strip”. July 3, 2011 Las Vegas is one of the fastest growing cities in the United States. Unfortunately, along with the growing population, the crime rate is also rising. Locals and tourists have become adversely affected. Although Northeast and down town Las Vegas are only miles apart, the crime rates are notably different. With all of the grand casinos and the promise of fortune, the “strip” located in downtown Las Vegas is a popular tourist destination. According to www.lvcva.com and www.lvmpd.com, an estimated thirty-seven million tourist visited Las Vegas in 2010. Eight hundred and fifty flights a day carry over two and one-half million visitors a month through McCarran International Airport making it the eighth busiest airport in the world. Las Vegas is the fifth most popular vacation destination in the world for foreign travel. It is the number one summer destination in the United States and the number one Gambling Destination in the world! These visitors spent an approximately fifteen billion dollars. It is easy to imagine how many of these folks are carrying large amounts of cash along with a celebratory drink. This makes them an easy target for criminals. Taken from the Las Vegas Metro police department website, in the past sixty days http://lvmpd.com reported, one-hundred seventy three crimes of assault and battery, three assault and battery with a deadly weapon, and sixteen robberies committed within a mile of the Monte Carlo hotel and casino. This is one of the most popular resorts on the strip and is considered “safe”. The area is well lit and crowds of people are always present at any time of day. Even with these factors, criminals are assaulting and robbing because it is easy to target a tourist who is probably carrying a large amount of money. One of Las Vegas’ dirty little secrets is the drug and prostitution scene. This may be a huge contributing factor to the high crime rate on the strip. Another reason is the nearby crime-ridden, low income neighborhoods where most of these thieves live. Not all neighborhoods in Las Vegas are considered dangerous. In the Northeast side of town, where housing is springing up like weeds, many of residents feel safe to take walks with their children without the fear of being assaulted. In the middle-class neighborhood near Ann Road and Decatur Boulevard, http://lvmpd.com revealed four reports of violent crimes of assault and battery, one assault and battery with a deadly weapon, and one robbery in the last sixty days. This area is considered to be one of the safest in the valley. Because this area is so new and the residents are mostly middle-class, crime is not a common occurrence. It is a well-known fact that poverty and poor education contribute to crime. With very little poverty in the Northwest, crime is significantly lower than the strip, whose neighborhoods are less than desirable. Six assault crime reports compared to one-hundred ninety two is a huge difference and shows the major contrast in crime rates between two cities just miles apart. The major differences between the two are the types of people and activities. References (2010). http://www.lvcva.com/getfile/624/ES-YTD2010.pdf. Retrieved July 3, 2011, from Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (2011). http://lvmpd.com/crimeviewcommunity/wizard.asp. Retrieved July 3, 2011, from Las Vegas Metro Police Department