Rewards increase as Crime Stoppers targets registered offenders in February

Crime Stoppers is teaming with local law enforcement agencies next month to do a registered offender roundup.

Throughout February, Crime Stoppers will disseminate posters and information about 15 wanted registered offenders in Sedgwick County, officials said.

The organization, which allows people to submit anonymous tips regarding felony crimes, will offer a higher payout than normal, hoping the added incentive will elicit more tips from the public, said Wichita police Detective Wendy Hummell, who serves as Crime Stoppers coordinator.

“I’m essentially wanting to create more work for myself because I’m wanting people to call in tips,” Hummell said. “I thought this would be a good way to bring attention to the program.”

The 15 people who will be sought in February are convicted, registered offenders who have stopped reporting to Sedgwick County’s offender registration unit and whom officers are having difficulty locating. The list includes sex offenders and violent offenders.

“Everybody in the community wants to know where these people are, and this is the way that happens,” said Sedgwick County sheriff’s Sgt. Conrad Jansson, who supervises the offender registration unit. “Nobody wants to see (offenders) running around, possibly re-offending. They need to answer for their crimes.”

Jansson said his unit has about a 95 percent compliance rate, so “most of the people that come in here do what they’re supposed to do.”

Registered offenders are required to re-register every three months, as well as notify the unit if they change addresses or are planning an out-of-state trip. They must also disclose their workplace, social media accounts, vehicle information and other such information, Jansson said.

“That’s been instrumental in a couple of cases,” Jansson said, referencing a west Wichita incident in which a re-offending sex offender was arrested using personal and vehicle descriptions. “It’s helpful. It solves crimes.”

There are three ways to submit anonymous tips to Crime Stoppers – over the phone, through a text message, or online at www.wichitasedgwickcountycrimestoppers.com.

If the information provided to Crime Stoppers results in an arrest, cash will be paid to the person who submitted the tip.

The average payout from a Crime Stoppers tip is around $200; however, for the February project, rewards will start at $500, Hummell said.

“That came from the board. This is a nonprofit organization who cares about solving crime in the community, and they wanted to make this successful,” she said.

If you submit a tip to Crime Stoppers, officials recommend you do not tell anyone about it, as it could lead to problems with collecting your reward.

“If you want to collect a reward, keep it to yourself,” Hummell said.

The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office maintains a searchable database online for people to see whether registered offenders live near them, which Jansson said is under-utilized.

“As a parent, you’d want to know … if you have a registered sex offender living two houses down from you,” he said.

This story was originally published January 30, 2016 at 5:55 PM with the headline "Rewards increase as Crime Stoppers targets registered offenders in February."