Las Vegas Police Say Task Force Curbing Car Thefts

April 15, 2009

Las Vegas police say a push to curb auto thefts is behind a big drop in the number of vehicles stolen in southern Nevada.

A report by the National Insurance Crime Bureau said that Clark County had the seventh-most cars stolen among metropolitan areas in the nation in 2008.

That’s down from first in the nation in 2006.

Las Vegas police Lt. Robert DuVall credits a regional car-theft task force dubbed the “Vehicle Investigations Project for Enforcement and Recovery,” or VIPER.

It involves Las Vegas, Henderson and North Las Vegas police, and the Nevada Highway Patrol.

The report says Modesto, Calif., led the nation in car thefts in 2008.