Wichita police have recovered $2 million in stolen items & cars since October
In a little over a month, Wichita police, with several neighboring law enforcement agencies, have recovered more than $2 million in stolen retail merchandise and nearly 100 vehicles.
The Property Crimes Task Force is a “targeted collaborative effort” comprised of the Wichita Police Department, Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office, Butler County Sheriff’s Office, Bel Aire, Mulvane, Goddard police and the Kansas Highway Patrol air unit.
The task force was established due to rising retail theft and low officer staffing. It has dedicated personnel and officers responding to property crimes.
The task force started in mid-October and is led by WPD property crimes bureau Capt. Casey Slaughter. The task force’s work includes combating organized retail theft, burglary and auto theft.
The initiative has been operating for 31 days as of Tuesday, not counting weekends and holidays, according to Slaughter.
“So as of the 31st day, we have 223 self-initiated calls. We have executed 204 misdemeanor charges and 264 felony charge cases. ... We’ve contacted 134 businesses and arrested 147 people,” Slaughter said at a press conference.
The task force also executed four search warrants and cleared 169 warrants and active picks ups.
All together, the task force’s work recovered $2.03 million in stolen items. This includes retail merchandise and 92 vehicles. The task force also seized 13 guns, 108 grams of meth, 28.5 grams of fentanyl and 110 pills, Slaughter said.
“We have a 7% reduction on overall larcenies,” Slaughter added. “We’re looking at 11% reduction in shoplifts, 15% reduction in trailer and construction site thefts, and 38% reduction in auto thefts.”
He added: “These are incredible, staggering numbers, so we know it’s working and we are committed to continuing this project.”
WPD Chief Joe Sullivan acknowledged that the task force combats theft in a proactive way, rather than reactive.
“We are short manpower, and we know that those calls [retail theft] are not being responded to in a timely manner, sometimes during peak hours,” Sullivan said. “We [now] have a dedicated group of officers and deputies, and this would not be possible without the cooperation of our regional partners.”