Abandoned vehicle reports surge in Las Vegas Valley thanks to app

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - Reports of abandoned vehicles have gone up in the last few years, according to Metro Police. It’s an issue happening all across the Valley, with hundreds of reports coming into the FixIt Clark County app every week.

“It’s kind of making the neighborhood look not so great,” Rhiannon D’Ottaviano said of a car with no plates that she says has been left near her home for weeks. “It’s kind of becoming a problem because people come and look to kind of break into them and we’re worried people might sleep in them and that’s not good.”

That car and others like it are being reported at a higher rate lately than in years past. FOX5 asked Metro Police about this and was told it has much to do with the FixIt Clark County app, which was introduced in November 2020. It gives people a simple way to report these cars.

“It’s allowed the public to have easier access to send to us this information when these cars have been abandoned and we can get to it,” LVMPD Officer Robert Wicks explained. “You make things easier for people and they start to respond better to it. And that’s why you’ve seen the increase.”

Once a claim is filed about abandoned cars, police come to see if it is indeed abandoned. If so, the owner is given three days to move the car, and is notified by a sticker placed on it. If it’s not moved within those 72 hours, the car is impounded and the owner will have to pay a fee to get it back.

D’Ottaviano is getting antsy about the timeline for this abandoned car.

“I’d love for them to get on it and remove these cars and do something and get them out of here,” she said. “Because it’s not good for the neighborhood.”

To submit a report, you’ll first download the app. Once you’ve created an account, tap “new request” on the bottom of the screen. You’ll be prompted to include a picture, which will help Metro identify the car when they respond. Then, you’ll enter the location and description of the car.

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