Hundreds of cars are stolen on the Las Vegas Strip every year and many of them are in plain sight in hotel garages and parking lots. But some hotels have ten times more thefts than others right across the street.
Who had the most thefts? Who had the fewest? "They always look for the easiest score," said Metro Auto Theft Lt. Robert Duvall.
Even though car thefts on The Strip make up just 5-percent of all stolen cars valley-wide, a theft down there hurts the city's image. "I'd love to tell you there are no thieves down on The Strip, but that's where the money is in Clark County," he said. "If tourists don't feel safe coming down here, they're going to quit coming down here."
Metro provided a report of every single auto theft on The Strip in 2008 -- from St. Louis Avenue all the way down to Russell Road. The I-Team focused on large, named casino properties -- the biggest economic drivers in Nevada.
Check out a list of stolen cars on The Strip
Out of the 530 cars stolen on the Strip in 2008, New York, New York was best. Their 4,000 spot garage had only three thefts. Monte Carlo was tied at three, Riviera came in third, Statosphere was fourth and Treasure Island was fifth best with only eight stolen cars.
Why the success? Duvall says it's all about what you see. "The trick to stopping theft is to create the perception, the correct perception, that they will get caught," he said.
That's where New York, New York succeeds. They have one entrance and exit with multiple cameras and also a unique feature: a guard. "Any kind of manned post in and out of lots or garages always helps," said Lt. Duvall.
Riviera's chief of security says they are very aggressive about their property and that they use "a lot of plain clothed patrols and stings."
When it comes to the most cars stolen on The Strip, Mandalay Bay had the most according to Metro records, clocking in at 42. But with more than 8,000 spaces, your car still has a low probability of getting stolen.
Circus Circus had the second most stolen with 39. Luxor had 38. Caesars was fourth with 36 and Excalibur was fifth with 33.
"One single car being stolen from us is a huge problem," said Jonathan Briggs with Savmor Car Rentals.
Briggs understands the stolen car problem better than most. He's manager for the locally owned Savmor company. "The value of that vehicle comes right off our bottom line," he said.
Most car rental companies have to self-insure, so a pinched car costs Briggs and Savmore a pretty penny -- full price. "One vehicle can wipe out an entire month," he said.
To fight thefts and help businesses like Briggs', Duvall says each property should limit exit points, increase lighting and reduce proximity to major highway onramps. They're big steps to keep the image clean and have a city striving for safety one car at a time.
"Everybody has to do a better job -- continue to do a better job. It's not over yet," said Duvall.
It depends on the neighborhood, but by and large, the casinos are safe and the thefts are statistically low. Studies still say Las Vegas is one of the most dangerous cities in the country with the seventh highest rate of car thefts. The Strip is a part of that, but as the numbers show, a little extra security goes a long way.
While Riviera spoke about this story, Stratosphere did not return calls. MGM Mirage, which owns the bulk of the properties on both lists, only sent along a statement saying:
"A basic analysis of the Metro data clearly and irrefutably shows that The Strip is one of the safest places in the valley to park a car with less than two percent of all car thefts in Las Vegas occurring on the Strip.
"Even a superficial investigation of the facts shows that in many cases of stolen car reports, the reality is that tourists have simply forgotten where they parked their rental car or incidents where an employee does not return a company vehicle on time. The "Top 5" list therefore does not reflect the actual number of crimes that occurred. Further, surveillance cameras, on-site bicycle officers, and security and Metro police very often result in stolen vehicle recoveries."
