Wichita Police Department
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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 Sheriff's office.The WPD is housed at the City Hall building located at 455 N Main, Wichita, Kansas.
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[edit] Mission statement
“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.“ [1]
[edit] Current chief
The current Chief of Police is Norman D. Williams, appointed April 14, 2000. Williams is the first, full-time, 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.
The Wichita Police Department participated in a Stop Study in 2001 in conjunction 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]
[edit] Organization
[edit] Investigation Division
The investigation division consists of the following departments:
- Property Crimes Bureau
- Robbery / Simple Assault
- Burglary
- Auto Theft
- Larceny
- Financial Crimes
[edit] Crimes Against Persons Bureau
The Crimes Against Persons Bureau consists of the following departments:
- Gang/Felony Assault
- Homicide
- Sex Crimes
- Exploited/Missing Children Unit
[edit] Special Investigations Bureau
The Special Investigations Bureau consistes of two departments:
- Administrative Section
- Undercover Section
[edit] Technical Services Bureau
The technical Services Bureau consists of the following departments:
- Crime Lab Investigators (CSI)
- Property/Evidence Section
- Latent prints
- Photography
[edit] 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 350 S Edgemoor.
- Patrol North has 9 patrol beats with a substation at 3015 E 21st Street North.
- Patrol South has 9 patrol beats with a substation at 211 E Pawnee.
- Patrol West has 10 patrol beats with a substation at 661 N Elder.
[edit] 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[1], 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 [3]
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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 1974-1978 in which 10 people were murdered and ended with his arrest and convivtion in 2005. [4] A blood sample from his daughter was used to confirm DNA tests that linked Rader to ten killings committed between 1974 and 1991Dennis Rader. Ken Landwehr became the department's expert on the BTK killer case so the Wichita Police Department's Chief of Police Norman D. Williams assigned Landwehr to head the BTK Task Force. [5]
A 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
The Wichita Police Department in conjunction with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation filed the very first Federal Racketeering case 09/28/07 in the State of Kansas' history. Two indictments name 28 defendants - all Crips Gang members citing 4 murders, 11 attempted murders and other crimes including arson, robbery, cocaine and Crack cocaine possession with intent to distribute and transportation of minors to engage in prostitution. According to the indictment [6], the Crips formed a criminal enterprise engaging in illegal activities including narcotics trafficking, drive-by shootings and burglaries; sought to preserve and expand their power through intimidation, threats and assaults; attempted to preserve and protect themselves from interference by law enforcement; and tried to keep their victims in fear through violence and threats. [7]
[edit] Awards
The WPD was honored to receive awards including:
2003 Webber Seavey Excellence in Law Enforcement Award [8] 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 December 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.
[edit] Fallen officers
A memorial was originally erected on McLean Blvd. to honor all local Sedgwick 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. [9]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ The Wichita Police Mission Statement
- ^ Wichita police Racial Profiling Study
- ^ Air Beat Magazine
- ^ Police Chief Magazine
- ^ National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund
- ^ USDOJ
- ^ Axcess News
- ^ International Association of Chiefs of Police
- ^ The Office Down Memorial Page
