Wichita Police Department

The Wichita Police Department (WPD) is the primary law enforcement agency serving the City of Wichita, Kansas, United States. WPD’s jurisdiction overlaps with the Sedgewick County Sheriffs office.The WPD is housed at the City Hall building located at 455 N Main, Wichita, Kansas.

According to WPD’s website,[1] “The Wichita Police Department’s mission is to provide professional and ethical public safety services in partnership with citizens to identify, prevent and solve the problems of crime, fear of crime, social disorder and neighborhood decay, thereby improving the quality of life in our community. “

The current Chief of Police is Norman D. Williams, appointed April 14, 2000. Williams is the first African-American ever appointed Chief of Police in Wichita’s history. Chief Williams has implemented a comprehensive traffic safety plan, has created a victims assistance unit and a neighborhood based traffic section are notable improvements during his tenure.

The original town of Wichita was incorporated in July 1870 and was elevated to City status in April 1871. The Wichita Police Department was officially created on April 13, 1871. Wyatt Earp was a documented notable Police officer in WPD history in 1875.Wyatt Earp

The Wichita Police Department participated in a Stop Study in 2001 in conjuction with Brian Withrow,Ph.D, Wichita State University to evaluate if WPD officers show differential patterns of enforcement based on race or ethnicity. The report was released in 2002 did not substantiate any evidence of racial or ethnic profiling by the officers of the WPD.[2]

A memorial was originally erected on McLean Blvd. to honor all local Sedgewick County law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty which was subsequently eliminated as traffic patterns were changed. A Law Enforcement Memorial Committee is actively working to build another memorial which will be located on the corner of Central and Main in 2008 that will honor all local officers who lost their lives. The Officer Down Memorial Page,inc has listed the total line of duty deaths as 19 for the WPD.[3]

Organization

Investigation Division

The investigation division consists of the following departments:

Property Crimes Bureau

Robbery /Simple Assault

Burglary

Auto Theft

Larceny

Financial Crimes

Crimes Against Persons Bureau

The Crimes Against Persons Bureau consists of the following departments:

Gang/Felony Assault

Homicide

Sex Crimes

Exploited/Missing Children Unit

Special Investigations Bureau

The Special Investigations Bureau consistes of two departments:

Administrative Section

Undercover Section

Technical Services Bureau

The technical Services Bureau consists of the following departments:

Crime Lab Investigators (CSI)

Property/Evidence Section

Latent prints

Photography

Patrol

The City of Wichita is divided into 4 quadrants for field patrol officers and substations have been established in each of the areas for a closer connection to the neighborhoods they serve.

Patrol East has 10 patrol beats with a substation at Towne East Square Mall, 7700 E Kellogg

Patrol North has 9 patrol beats with a substation at 3015 # 21st Street North.

Patrol South has 9 patrol beats with a substation at 321 N Mead.

Patrol West has 10 patrol beats with a substation at Towne West Square, 4600 W Kellogg.

Air Section

The first purchase of a WPD helicopter to combat increasing crime was in 1970 with the purchase of a Hughes 300B. Today the air section has one MD500E helicopter and four people attached to the unit working on staggered schedules. According to the WPD’s website[4], the air section “coordinates and supports the operational activities of ground units by assisting with apprehensions, vehicle pursuits, foot chases, criminal investigations, traffic control, search-and-rescue, crime prevention, community-oriented policing activities, and special community events.” Only twelve other departments in the country match the longevity of the Wichita Police Department's Air Section according to Air Beat Magazine[5]

New Recruit Training

New recruits have been trained simultaneously with the recruits from the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s office since 1985 at the Wichita Sedgewick County Law Enforcement Training Center (WSCLETC). Training consists of 23 weeks of basic training and an additional 336 hours of training for the particular needs of the Metropolitan City of Wichita.

Notable Events IN WPD History

The WPD was in the forefront of the national news for the BTK (Bind, Torture and Kill) serial killer case that spanned 1974-1974 where 10 people were murdered which ended with his arrest and convivtion in 2005. Dennis Rader

Another notable event in WPD's history was the Hermann Hill riot on Easter Sunday in 1979 in a public Park named Herman Hill where 88 people were arrested and at least 51 were injured.Herman Hill riot

Awards

The WPD was honored to receive awards including:

2003 Webber Seavey Excellence in Law Enforcement Award [6]for the “Planeview Project” in recognition for promoting a standard of excellence that exemplifies law enforcement's contribution and dedication to the quality of life in local communities. The award is named for Webber S. Seavey, first president of the IACP (International Association of Chiefs of Police).According to the IACP, "the problem oriented policing “Planeview Project” was developed and implemented to address an increase in violent crime in the Planeview area of Wichita. The project set the following goals: reduce violent and juvenile crime, enhance citizen relationships, develop partnerships with key stakeholders, address neighborhood blight and instill a sense of pride and ownership in the area. Through a number of sustained policing strategies, the Project yielded impressive results in 2002. Juvenile crime dropped 32 percent from June through September, auto burglaries fell by 12 percent and residential burglaries were reduced by 3 percent during the same time period. In addition, larcenies dropped by 8 percent and vandalism - including graffiti - decreased by 9 percent. There has not been a homicide in Planeview since Dec. 31, 2001. Aggravated assaults dropped by 57 percent and simple assaults by 78 percent in 2002."

2003 Boy Scouts of America Whitney Young Jr Community Service Award

Camp Awareness is supported by the Wichita Police Department and the Boy Scouts of America. This camp is a four-day camp for boys' between the ages of 7 and 10 that are not in the Cub Scout Program. The boys are recruited through schools and other community organizations. Summer day camp activities include swimming, archery, arts and crafts and field games.