Everyone knows that Las Vegas casinos are some of the most videotaped spaces on the Earth. Those tiny cameras are everywhere, and one might think it impossible to get out of their reach. It has been said that Vegas has more camera working than any airport in the US (per square foot). But, are those cameras looking at every square inch of a casino? Some people say no, and they are alarmed at what is not being watched.
In some casinos, it has been reported that cameras are not used to monitor guest room hallways and other areas where people travel as they get from one point to another. This, they say, may make these areas more vulnerable to criminal activity such as robbery and rape.
For their part, casinos say that there is no real need for any added security in these areas. They, did not, make much more comment beyond that other than to say that areas such as elevators, lobbies and gaming floors are always monitored.
Even so, it has been reported by the Associated Press that some 23 of 27 (major) casinos on the Strip do not have surveillance camera located in hallways or on the elevator landings. Of these, all but four are owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment Corp., MGM Resorts International, Las Vegas Sands Corp. Or by Wynn Resorts Ltd.
According to The AP, they report that they came up with these numbers when interviewing casino officials. And they also went to those hotels that did not comment. It was also reported that only Planet Hollywood, Caesars Palace, MGM Grand and the Tropicana Las Vegas have monitors in the halls that are located above the gambling floor.
It is no secret that hotel room burglaries are said to account for the majority of reported hotel and casino crimes. This particular crime is increasing while traditional home burglaries are going down for the city. This comes from numbers supplied by the police. Police officials have said that because there are no cameras in many hotel areas, criminals feel safe doing their dirty business in those areas. Without the cameras, it is also harder to make a case and prosecute those who are caught.
Some of those who are particularly worried about this lapse in security are hotel housekeepers. Many of these employees have stories that involve dangerous or threatening actions taken toward them. Many of these workers do not report altercations as they know there is no way of proving what they say without some type of filmed evidence.
The main excuse for not having this added security boils down to cost. Not only is there a cost of buy and installing the equipment, but there is also the added cost of having the systems monitored. Some experts suggest that lawsuits may also be a reason hotels are no so eager to add cameras to these areas. If something happened to a patron or employee and it was ignored by hotel personnel, lawsuits could follow.