You can start looking for prior crimes at the place your loved one was killed today, and what you find may matter a great deal. In a Nevada wrongful death case against a property, earlier assaults, robberies, and police calls at the same location are often the proof that the attack was preventable.
Some of that history is public. Some takes a records request. The most important pieces usually sit in the property’s own files, and those only come out through a lawsuit. Here’s how each layer works, what a grieving family can safely do on its own, and where an assault wrongful death lawyer in Las Vegas takes over.
Why Prior Crimes Matter in a Nevada Wrongful Death Case
Most families suing over a violent death aren’t suing only the person who did it. They’re also looking at the hotel, apartment complex, bar, parking garage, or security company that controlled the place where it happened. That’s a negligent security claim, and it usually turns on one question: was the attack foreseeable?
Prior similar crimes are one of the strongest ways to answer yes. For hotels, motels, and other lodging properties, Nevada’s innkeeper statute (NRS 651.015) treats similar incidents the owner knew about as one route to proving foreseeability. Apartments, bars, stores, and other properties are judged under general negligence rules, where crime history is still central. We break down the legal test in how negligent security claims work in Nevada and when an assault is foreseeable under Nevada’s hotel liability law. This post covers the practical part: finding the history.
Prior incidents don’t have to match the attack that killed your loved one. A pattern of fights, robberies, or armed confrontations can be enough to show the property knew violence was a real risk. Every case is different, and an attorney can tell you which incidents actually carry weight.
What Your Family Can Look Up Right Now
None of these steps requires a lawyer, and none of them tips off the property. They won’t give you the full picture, but they often show whether there’s something worth digging into.
The LVMPD Open Data Portal and Crime Maps
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department publishes crime incident data through an online open data portal, where you can filter by crime type and zoom into a specific area. Search the block around the property for assaults, robberies, shootings, and homicides over the past few years. Henderson and North Las Vegas have their own police departments, so check which agency covers the address first.
Keep in mind that a crime map shows reported crimes, not every police call. A property with dozens of disturbance calls and few formal reports can look quieter online than it really was.
News Coverage, Online Reviews, and Tenant Complaints
Search the property’s name and street address in local news archives. Then read its Google and Yelp reviews, apartment review sites, and neighborhood groups. Comments like “the gate has been broken for months,” “fights in the parking lot every weekend,” or “security never comes when you call” are leads. Screenshot anything relevant with the date visible, because reviews can be edited or removed.
Court Records and Past Lawsuits
Clark County court records can show whether the property has been sued before for assaults, shootings, or inadequate security. A prior lawsuit is strong evidence that the owner was on notice. Search the Eighth Judicial District Court’s public case records by the owner’s or management company’s name, which is often different from the name on the sign.
What You and the People Around You Already Know
Your family may already hold some of the best evidence. Think back to what your loved one said about the place: break-ins, threats, a neighbor who’d been robbed, a manager who brushed off complaints. If your loved one lived there, neighbors and former tenants can describe problems the owner heard about directly. Start a simple file with:
- Dates and descriptions of incidents you remember
- Screenshots of reviews and posts, with dates showing
- Texts, emails, and social media posts that mention problems at the property
- Names and phone numbers of neighbors, coworkers, or witnesses
- Any written complaint your loved one sent the property
What Takes a Public Records Request
Police records about a specific address go deeper than a crime map. Under the Nevada Public Records Act, a government agency generally has to respond to a records request by the end of the fifth business day, either by producing the records, explaining when they’ll be ready, or citing the legal reason it’s withholding them.
For a negligent security case, the most useful public records usually include:
- Calls for service to the property’s address: how many times police were called, and why
- Incident and crime reports involving the property
- Records showing whether police warned the owner or management about ongoing problems
Two cautions. First, records tied to an open homicide or assault investigation are often withheld until the criminal case moves forward. That doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Second, a vague request can come back incomplete or slow. Experienced attorneys know how to word these requests so they capture the right address range, time period, and call types.
What Only a Lawsuit Can Uncover
The property’s own records are usually the heart of the case, and no family can simply ask for them. They come out through subpoenas and discovery after a wrongful death lawsuit is filed. They often include:
- Internal incident reports and security logs
- Guard schedules, patrol records, and staffing levels
- Complaints from guests, tenants, or employees
- Emails about safety problems, broken gates, lighting, or cameras
- Prior insurance claims and settlements involving attacks
- Security contracts and post orders spelling out what guards were supposed to do
This is where Glen Howard’s background matters. Before he represented families, he spent years as an insurance defense attorney. He knows what properties document internally, what their insurers ask for after a violent incident, and which records tend to go missing unless someone demands them early.
Mistakes That Make Prior-Crime Evidence Harder to Get
Families acting out of grief and anger sometimes make moves that cost them evidence. Avoid these:
- Calling the property or its insurer to ask about past crimes. It alerts them, and anything you say can be used later.
- Signing anything from the property, its insurer, or a security company.
- Waiting on the criminal case. Surveillance video is often recorded over within days or weeks, and the civil case doesn’t need a conviction.
- Assuming you have unlimited time. Nevada generally gives families two years to file a wrongful death lawsuit, and the clock doesn’t pause for the criminal case.
A lawyer can send an evidence preservation letter right away, which puts the property on notice that it must keep its video, logs, and reports. You can also read more about how long you have to file a wrongful death lawsuit in Nevada.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are police reports public in Nevada?
Many are, but not all. Nevada’s Public Records Act presumes government records are open, and LVMPD, Henderson PD, and North Las Vegas PD all accept records requests. But reports connected to an active criminal investigation, juvenile matters, and some personal information are commonly withheld or redacted. In a homicide, the full report may not be released until the criminal case progresses. An attorney can request records, follow up on delays, and later subpoena what the agency won’t release voluntarily.
How do I find out how many times police were called to an address in Las Vegas?
Request the calls-for-service history for that address from the agency that covers it. That’s usually LVMPD for most of the valley, including the Strip and unincorporated Clark County. Ask for a specific date range, such as the past three to five years, and include nearby addresses if the property spans a block or has a separate parking structure. The response typically lists call dates, call types (fight, robbery, shots fired, disturbance), and outcomes. In a wrongful death case, a lawyer will usually pair that history with the property’s own incident logs to show what management knew.
Can we still sue if nothing like this ever happened there before?
Possibly. Prior similar crimes are one strong way to show an attack was foreseeable, but they aren’t the only way. For hotels and other lodging properties, Nevada law also allows foreseeability to be shown through the owner’s failure to use due care for guest safety. For other properties, courts look at the whole picture, including the type of business, the neighborhood, staffing, and obvious failures like broken locks or dark parking areas. “Nothing like this ever happened here” is also a common defense line that records often contradict. Talk to an attorney before deciding the history isn’t there.
How far back do prior incidents count?
Nevada has no fixed cutoff. Courts look at whether earlier incidents were close enough in time, location, and type to put the owner on notice. A string of assaults in the same parking garage over the past two years carries far more weight than a single burglary a decade ago. In practice, attorneys usually request several years of history, then sort out which incidents actually connect to how your loved one was killed. Older incidents can still matter if they show a long-running problem the property never fixed.
Someone Knew. Let Us Help You Find Out Who.
If you believe the place where your loved one was killed had a history of violence, your instinct may be right, and the proof is often sitting in files the property hopes no one asks for. Howard Injury Law represents Las Vegas families in assault and negligent security wrongful death cases. We know where properties keep that history and how to get it before it disappears.
You don’t have to know whether you have a case before you reach out. Schedule a free, confidential consultation and tell us what happened. We work on contingency, so there’s no fee unless we win. You can also learn more about the wrongful death claims we handle in Nevada, including deaths caused by unsafe properties.
