Major crimes down in unincorporated areas of Sedgwick County

Major crimes in unincorporated areas of Sedgwick County dropped nearly 5 percent from 2013 to 2014, sheriff’s Capt. Greg Pollock said Wednesday.

There has been an overall increase in crime south of Kellogg and east of West Street, but that also is an area of rising population, Pollock noted.

The statistics represent the categories of homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, auto theft and arson.

There were two homicides in 2014, which is about average since 2009. Reported rapes fell from 20 in 2013 to 13 in 2014, according to a breakdown Pollock provided at the weekly briefing for reporters.

Although the statistics show no major shifts in crime, he said, the number of aggravated assaults rose from 120 in 2013 to 134 in 2014.

At the jail, which had an average daily population of 1,358 last year, there has been an overall 14 percent increase in reported crimes last year compared with the year before, Pollock said. But he added that it appears that the increase reflects increased reporting and not a higher level of crime.

As part of an ongoing project, there are more cameras in the jail now recording activity, he said.

At the jail, suicide attempts rose from 37 in 2013 to 44 in 2014, a 19 percent increase, the statistics show.

Among major crimes reported at the jail: There were no homicides; reported rapes increased from one in 2013 to three in 2014; and aggravated assaults rose from 12 to 20.

This story was originally published January 28, 2015 at 12:28 PM with the headline "Major crimes down in unincorporated areas of Sedgwick County."