LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Hotel room burglaries are, unfortunately, nothing new in Las Vegas. But many victims of the crime are surprised when they learn that surveillance cameras aren't always positioned in hotel hallways.
We looked into the reason why — and the answer may surprise you.
Margaret Kersbergen, who claims her room at the Rio hotel was burglarized, says she got this answer from hotel security after reporting stolen belongings:
"They told us that for customers' privacy, they do not have cameras in the hallways."
It's not the first time Channel 13 has shared the stories of similar crimes at different hotel properties across Las Vegas. Since then, more have come forward, like a father-son duo who recently told us their room at the South Point was broken into while they were in town for the Super Bowl.
"We were ready to go to bed for the night, and that's when I noticed that two of our suitcases are missing," said Vedant Gupta.
In both cases, hotel staff told them surveillance cameras weren't present in the hallway, and that their doors were left open.
Security expert Tommy Burns knows how this goes firsthand.
"You have door pushers, they call them. And they go down the hallways, pushing doors to see if they'll open," Burns said. "It's a long-held tradition for thieves."
Burns previously worked as security director for Caesars Entertainment and shares that many Las Vegas casinos — some of the most closely-watched spaces in the world — just don't have video cameras in guest room hallways, making it more difficult to catch the thieves.
"People want their privacy. People come to Las Vegas and 'what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,'" Burns said.
Other reasons include cost and the potential for lawsuits.
It's something Kersbergen and Gupta wish they would have known beforehand.
"You have to be a little bit more cautious after something like that happens," Gupta said.
"Use that extra latch on your door, put your valuables in a safe, even when you're in your room," Kersbergen said. "I mean, you don't think to do that when you're there."
We reached out to the major Strip casino operators for this story, however they declined further comment.
As far as the victims we interviewed, they have not received updates from police about whether the thieves who stole their stuff have been arrested.
