Residents voice crime concerns regarding west valley break-ins

Burglars would not have liked the meeting held Jan. 21 at the Durango Hills YMCA, 3521 N. Durango Drive. It was all about how keep them from gaining access to your property.

A crime prevention and preparedness meeting was arranged for that night by District 34 Assemblywoman Victoria Seaman. She said she'd received a number of calls about crime going up, many from seniors.

"I do coffee with constituents almost weekly, and the main concern I'm hearing is that ... the crime in the area has increased tremendously," she said. "So, I wanted to bring the leaders of the community — Metro, the councilman, the attorney general's office — so we could hear their concerns and give them the tools they need to keep their families safe."

Ward 4 Las Vegas City Councilman Stavros Anthony — who was with the Metropolitan Police Department for 29 years — brought a printout showing the crime numbers for each of the wards. He ran his finger down the column. Where Ward 2 Councilman Bob Beers' ward showed an average of 94 calls for service per month in 2014, and 82 for 2015 — a drop of 11 percent — Anthony's own ward averaged 74 in 2014 and 82 in 2015, up 11 percent.

"If you look at the stats for the past three months — for October, November, December, compared to 2014's October, November, December — there is an uptick in residential burglaries compared to last year, but, overall, crime is about stagnant," Anthony said. "It's about the same. But residential burglaries are one of the easiest crimes to commit because the burglars want to make sure you're not home, and if you're not home, it's pretty easy to (gain entry). That resonates with people because they feel violated. ... And it's tough to catch these folks unless they leave behind some evidence."

Attendees had their own reasons for being there. The homicide of July 2015 was still on people's minds. That's when the body of a man was discovered inside a house on Panama Beach Drive, near West Cheyenne Avenue and North Rampart Boulevard.

Marty Hagans said he's seen crime numbers go up.

"We've had numerous vehicle break-ins in my residential area within the last few months," he said. "It's been well-documented that the wildlife around Desert Shores have been killed and tortured, and it's definitely coming to the neighborhood. We have a faction living in our communities now that do not abide by the rules of life, and they're running amuck."

CrimeMapping.com showed 74 instances of home and car break-ins for the two months prior to the event. Most are property crimes such as laptops or holiday gifts being taken from vehicles or items stolen from garages with their doors left up, Metro representatives said.

Capt. Richard Fletcher, bureau commander for the Northwest Area Command, took questions, running the meeting much like a First Tuesday event, which is a monthly staple at each of the police department's command centers.

Not everyone had a question. One woman said when she hears the Metro helicopters over her home at night, she turns on her front and back outdoor lights.

"It's a great way to keep criminals out of your backyard," Fletcher agreed, adding that interior lights on motion detectors was another way to discourage bad guys when one was away from home.

Another woman said that when she got married, her first Christmas present from her husband was a gun. The commander suggested she have some way to keep it secure, such as in a safe, so it wouldn't accidentally fall into the wrong hands.

Fletcher said homeowners in the Northwest Area Command's coverage area own 1,700 guns and that the area leads all others in stolen firearms.

"For every gun stolen from your home, that's one more gun that can be used against your neighbor or us (the police)," he said, adding that criminals stop at nothing to locate firearms. "No matter how well you think you've hidden it, it will be found."

Another reason to secure one's gun was for the safety of those visiting your home, he said, noting that a 2-year-old was strong enough to discharge a gun.

Speaking of guns, think the bad guys have no idea who owns one and who doesn't? All they have to do, Fletcher said, is see that NRA bumper sticker on your vehicle. It advertises you not only own a gun but likely more than one.

Metro plans to hire 300 recruits to train this year, but for now, the Northwest Area Command is operating with 102 patrol officers, 23 detectives and 15 special unit officers. Budgetary issues mean it's had to cut back its helicopter unit's in-air time.

The Northwest Area Command serves a resident population of approximately 370,000 people.

Crime was up 2 percent in its jurisdiction, Fletcher said, adding that police officers know which areas see the most crime and concentrate their efforts there.

"Most of the problems we're seeing are in the Jones and Rainbow corridor," he said. "... Homeowners will say to me, 'I never see (patrol cars) in my neighborhood,' and I say, 'Then you live in a good neighborhood.' "

He touched on tips to stay safe: Don't be so involved in your iPhone that you're not aware of your surroundings; make eye contact with someone you think may be about to target you; keep shrubs close-cropped near your front door, leaving nowhere to hide; leave lights on random timers; and install a loud, audible house alarm so your neighbors are alerted if someone breaks into your house.

Can't afford an alarm system? Buy a dog, he suggested.

"I have a beagle, and that dog will not shut his mouth," Fletcher said.

No area is immune to crime. Around midnight of the night of the event, a woman was attacked by two men outside of her home in Summerlin near Anasazi and Town Center drives. Metro said she was approached by two men wearing masks around midnight, and they pushed her to the ground. There may have been a gun involved. The incident is under investigation.

Summerlin resident Judy Lewis, who helped organize the event, is trying to garner 100 signatures to present to Beers in February. On the Monday after the event, there were already 200 signatures. She said she'd like to see 500, even 1,000.

"Our main concern is the lack of police," she said. "They don't respond. One lady called that her neighbor's house was being broken into, and they told her she was ninth on the list. My neighbor called and said his neighbor, two doors down, was being broken into, and they were going to come out. Two hours later, they (called and) asked, 'Are they still in the house?' Like, he's going to go in the house and look?"

Lewis said she understands more money is needed to provide more officers and suggested an increase in the sales tax of a quarter percent might be the answer.

"We want to take back our community from these criminals," she said.

The petition is called "Bob Beers City Councilman Ward 2 Las Vegas: Increase Police Officer Patrols in the Master Plan Community of Summerlin NV" and is at change.org.

Contact the Northwest Area Command at 702-828-4305.

— To reach Summerlin Area View reporter Jan Hogan, email jhogan@viewnews.com or call 702-387-2949.