Wichita must not be apathetic about its crime surge in 2007, especially the 65 percent increase in homicides. The city also saw more rapes, robberies and burglaries last year. Wichita Police Chief Norman Williams was right to address the statistics directly this week, a day after Mayor Carl Brewer promised a crackdown on gang violence. Williams suggested adding a downtown patrol bureau, as more businesses attract more people to the core.
But City Hall should not be alone in feeling the heat. Such alarming crime statistics also are a call to the community’s businesses, neighborhood associations, churches and individuals to seek solutions that will improve public safety and peace of mind.
36 Comments
But lots of guns and if you can, get a concealed carry license. Make war with gang bangers and go for head shots.
Yes, murders are up, and there is absolutely nothing the police can do about it in advance if someone decides to kill someone else. What this paper continues to ignore is that WPD clears over 82% of murders–a rate that is DOUBLE the national average.
Increase in auto thefts..the WPD regularly pleads with people to NOT leave their cars running in cold weather–yet people do just that. Then they complain about a ‘rising crime rate’.
Increase in gang activity–is that before or after Lt. Easter’s group, working with the Feds, arrested dozens of gang members and charged them under federal RICO statutes?
This posting by the paper seems to suggest that crime is out of control and the WPD is powerless. The exact opposite is true, and the facts prove it, yet this paper doesn’t deem it necessary to include those facts.
We always see crime go up as poverty goes up. Interesting how spiked criminal things are happening with the inflation huh.
Taz, the issue is PREVENTION, not whether or not the police do a good job of nabbing.
When people have to decide whether they want milk or gas…
And I don’t like my local police working with any Federal agency in any capacity…ever.
(9 out of 10 mechanics agree, cars have to warm up.
As I see it, there are always seems to be an excess of cops around during the day, writing tickets, walking around city hall, sitting at sarbucks and Krispy… Why are there not more cops on the night shift? There are never enough cops on nigh shift, oh and wait, when is a majority of the crimes committed? AT NIGHT!
If WPD wants to get a handle on crime, than they need to start fludding PlaineView and 13th and Grove with police from 7p-7a! Get the cops where they need to be, in the most dangerious parts of town. Put them on every block, so when something does happen they can actually catch the guy responsable.
Pleefer, I don’t know where you got your warm-up statistics, but in a recent article warm up time for newer model vehicles is less than 3 minutes. Now if you’re talking about warming up the interior for comfort then, yeah it takes about 15 minutes! But that’s using a lot of petro just to be room temperature! What’s amazing is the number of two car garages that are used as storage while the cars sit outside. That is rather ignorant! I can get in my SUV, start it up and let it idle for two minute before backing out for the trip to work. The inside of my garage is around 28 degrees while outside it is 6! Less time to warm up and less time to get the interior at a comfortable temp! And my vehicle is far less likely to be vandalized or stolen!!!
I totally agree, OMRoad.
People store worthless junk in their garages that people won’t even buy at a yard sale, but they keep the most expensive machine they’ve ever bought out in the wind and the weather.
A couple of years ago, we had a bad hailstorm at about 5:30 am in our neighborhood and everybody was asking about our cars.
Our cars were fine. They were in the garage.
Hehe.
And statistics on who is performing the crime?
For instance, is it related to the increase in
illegal aliens amongst us? Prior drug convictions?
Are the criminals younger or older? Are they coming from poor families.
Give me a break political mom. Being poor or because things cost more – is no excuse for
MURDER. What a silly position.
Like I said. Let’s see the demographics, before reacting with “those poor people” responses.
It seems to me that I recall hearing/reading that the most efficient way to warm up a car is to start it, let it idle for 30 seconds, then drive the first mile or so at low speed (I’m guessing here this means something around 20-30). The engine warms up faster under “load”, and all is well.
The problem with the cars stolen while “warming up” is the fact the car is, in general, without anyone in it during the time the driver is waiting for the interior to become warm. I’m somewhat surprised that with the cost of fuel, people are still wasting it warming the interior.
Speaking of all that, an ad I’ve been hearing for remote starters champions the fact that the car may be started from “inside”, thus leaving the same locked and without keys in the ignition while it gets warm. This has the additional feature of not violating the ordinances which proscribe leaving a car running, without an occupant, with the keys in the ignition. The ad notes there are no keys in the ignition, thus the ordinance isn’t violated.
Pleefer
Posted January 18, 2008 at 8:48 am | Permalink
(9 out of 10 mechanics agree, cars have to warm up.
Then they must be republicans who don’t care about GW.
The eagle posts this nice map every week of the crimes committed in the city. A far majority of violent crimes occure in two centralized areas, PlainView and 13th and Grove. Why is this so hard for WPD to understand? Flood the area with police at night. Even the WPD could eventually catch someone committing a violent crime.
I remember reading that gang related crime in Wichita was related to gang members from other areas (Texas,etc.)were coming into Wichita to peddle drugs.
Gang activity is usually tied with drugs, so it makes sense.
As long as a communty, any communty, tolerates criminals, crimes will be rampant. Better to take care of it yourself instead of “snitching” sure doesn;t seem to be working. Poor has something to do with it, but not as much as one would think. There are large amounts of poor people in this country that do not become criminals. It is not a lack of money, but a lack of morals. And a lack of respect. Absentee fathers, irresponsible mothers, a community that would rather look the other way than tell the “man” all bear responsibility.
I think the increase in gang violence has to do with the importation of drugs from out of state and the gangs from other states pushing them. This is what was specified a few weeks ago by Wichita Police Chief anyway.
I don’t think our government should have voiced their distaste for rap, but I do believe rap has a big influence on the popularity of gangs, this is a tragic case of life imitating art, long after the art was imitating life. Most of these rappers are college educated with a marketing degree, not all of them but the rappers that are college educated create their own record labels and sign on rap artist that don’t have the business education from college experience. Nonetheless most of the rappers were never violent gang banging sexists. They are just rapping about a lifestyle they don’t live to sell albums, and most kids that listen to rap don’t know this. Some of the easily influenced kids are sucked into the gangster rap culture, and try to live the life that is completely self destructive, and they don’t understand the rappers they idolize so much are just hard working businessmen in the entertainment industry. But there would still be gangs if rap didn’t exist, I just think rap glamorizes gangs, and increases their popularity.
Littlejohn you are spot on. During the great depression my parents told me crime decreased. Neighbors helped neighbors and would never think to take anything from them illegally. It is too easy to blame others when the crime rate goes up. I looked to see Bush’s name here somewhere and it got close when those evil republicans were blamed for not caring about global warming.
I’m betting at least 60% of the murders that happened last year, we’re commited by a gang member. Or were gang related, I recall a few cases that had nothing to do with gangs, but it seems like most of them we’re gang related.
A. N. Keny
Posted January 18, 2008 at 9:42 am | Permalink
And statistics on who is performing the crime?
For instance, is it related to the increase in
illegal aliens amongst us? Prior drug convictions?
Better yet, how does it break down when you consider race and national origin, illegal or not?
I think gangster rap is much like prostitution, selling the most basic and primitive values, power, sex, money, materialism, and fame, and the kids that buy the stuff are the victims of their own ignorance of buying into such poor values and giving these gangsta rappers money to be successful.
Notice I’m emphasizing gangster rap, I’m aware theirs rappers that don’t promote gangs, like Outkast.
I seen a show on the history channel last night about how gang members join the military to learn combat skills to become better gang members, the FBI beilives that as many 10,000 active gang members are in the military a small fraction of the total in the armed forces but still a scary number
Ive always heard that there was a crime wave during the Great Depression, and that many depression era are regarding as folk heroes, despite the fact that Bonnie and Clyde mostly robbed Ma & Pop stores and diners.
“Incarceration alone will not solve North Carolina’s crime crisis. We must also focus on preventing crime by addressing the conditions that give rise to it. That does not mean increasing government spending on jobs programs or social programs. There is no historical relationship between crime rates and either poverty, joblessness, or government social spending. Crime rates during the Great Depression were much lower than they are today. The real cause of crime is not a poverty of resources but a poverty of values. Research has clearly documented a relationship between out-of-wedlock births and the likelihood that those children will grow up to be criminals. That means that welfare reform and other measures to reduce government dependency and illegitimacy are irreplaceable elements of a successful crime-prevention strategy.”
http://www.johnlocke.org/agenda2004/crimepunisment.html
Tom Paine above is a telling fact about crime and poverty. My folks lived it. They gave a first hand account and it appears history bore them out.
My parents and grandparents, their friends and family all lived through the Depression and none of them turned to crime. None of them killed anyone, stole their car or raped anyone. They all suffered and went through bad times too.
The facts are that it is a poverty of values ( as someone above has stated) that is responsible for the mess places like Plainview and North Central Wichita are in. It doesn’t take money to parent. It doesn’t take money to take your children to church or teach them to believe in, if not God, at least the sanctity of human life.
Many of us didn’t have everything we wanted given to us as children and we turned out better than those whose parents gave in to their every whim. We weren’t allowed to hang out with whoever, all night long, going who knows where. Our parents wanted to know who we were with, what we were doing and TOLD us when to be home. I have followed the same ideals it has kept my children safe and kept them from harming others, at least until they were adults and made their own decisions. But hey 30+ years actually doing a job doesn’t make me an expert. I didn’t get a degree, so what do I know
Gang bangers will sell illegal drugs and kill people no matter what the economy is doing.
RICO lawsuits, to claim the money and property of organized criminals, is probably the only way that we can remove some of the “bling bling” attraction that gang life has, to young people.
Sure ignore the reasons for crime and crime prevention. Focus on punishment. Aint going to do you much good after the fact now is it?
FACT: Crime rises along with poverty. You can’t even dispute it.
Deny it, justify your position all you want, but it won’t change.
It’s pretty simple to warm up your car. Get two keys and lock the door. I wish I had a garage.
Littlejohn’s comments about the neighborhoods tells us something else. Most Wichitans are completely apathetic about gang members killing gang members in bad neighborhoods. The general feeling is, “good, two less gang members.” Only when such crime spills into “normal” neighborhoods does anyone become alarmed. The problem is like a rat’s nest. We get all excited about seeing a rat where it “shouldn’t be,” but don’t want to go into the area of the rat’s nest and exterminate the cause.
My grandparents didn’t commit crimes during the depression either, but my grandfather still thinks Dillinger and pretty boy floyd were heroes
Hey Tom, I have seen that same show and it is scary to know that these guys are tripping out on themselves.
They have this obsessive macho mentality, feeding off from each other and thinking that they are the ultimate above everyone else.
Rhonda – Does the Eagle really want to motivate the community to get a handle on crime? I suggest that we start with the criminals that work for Nola Foulston & SRS Regional Director Jean Hogan. The Wichita Eagle has the power to clean up the real gangsters in Wichita, the one tht wear black robes at the 18th Judicial District Court House. I think that Wichita would have less lower level police corruption and state, county & city government corruption if the judges were not given the green light to commit evil acts by by the amoral cynical news media and the cowardly legislators.
Your reproter, Hurst Laviana, was afraid to report the real news that occurred at the Sedgwick County legislators public forum on 1/3/08 when fireman Mark Jordan refused to accept the paltry $16,000 settlement offerred by Sen Journey. Jordan demanded $1,000,000 and the legislators look upset and distressed that they may be forced to take action.
The Eagle needs to ask if it is possible for thhe state to go bankrupt due to all of the evil acts committed by the state judges prosecutors and SRS officals and subcontractors to literally thousands of families that have been destroyed so that a parasitic class of attorneys, social workers and forensic psycholgistscould profit and have important prestigious powerful jobs.
I have another news flash for you Rhonda (that probably will never be reported by the Eagle) . At a SRS meeting today, Jean Hogan stated that the SRs program “Reintegration out of the Home” budget was going to increase by $15,000,000 from $1,636,o000 to $17,000,000 in 2009. Rhonda have you ever heard the expression that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure? If the citizens have the ability to have there allegations memorialized on the internet before reform-minded House Committees like Jim Morrison’s Committee on Government Efficiency & Technology, these criminal racketeering activites woudl be exposed. Rhonda – You really have to take the time to speak with Jim Morrision before you attack his bill to fund the technology improvements to require all senate & house committees to record and broadcast their hearings. Rhonda – Have you ever head of C-Span? I know that the EAgle likes to conduct all sorts of meaningless surverys. Why don’t you survey the citizens of Kansas to see if they would be willing to tape record citizens like me giving gangster attorney-politicians like Sen John Vrtil grief during testimony before their committees. It would be better than reality TV. It would be reality journalism which would be a novel concept that Buzz Merritt never thought was possible.
Too bad Mark McCormick never reported about these scandals when he was the Eagle’s crime team leader in the early 2000’s. What goes around come around. I bet Mark cwanted to ingratiate himself with certain powerful judges like Hurst Laviana did (in my opinion) when he conspired with Judge Ballinger and Nola Foulston’s prosecutors to set up criminal defense attorney, Mike Lehr, in 3/2005 to ask Judge Ben Burgess require him to take an urinalysis test on a third day of a 2nd degree murder trial that he was winning. Courthouse employees testified that they thought Lehr appeared to be on drugs which was disputed by the defendents’ family meembers.
Lehr was my civil rights attorney who was going to file malpractice lawsuits against several family law attorneys and psychiatrists at Wichita Psychiatric Consultnats. Lehr was forced to “voluntarily” agree to a deal with Chief Adminsitrative Judge Ballinger to suspend his license for a year which resulted in him not being able to represent me. Interestingly the Supreme Court reneged on the deal a year later as I accumulaed more and more evidence of corruption and documented it in court pleadings.
Kansas despertely need courageous civil rights attorneys like Mike Lehr because the Wichita Eagle’s management have become corporate fascists only interested in keeping the car dealers and other advertisers happy.
Last week I noticed that the Wichita Police Department has Lehr on their top 10 wanted list for missing a hearing for a DUI charge (which may or may not be legitimate because the first UA test could have easily been been doctored). Maybe Lehr is afraid that he will be whacked if he is arrested and jailed. This is a definite possibility because a Sedgwick County Sheriff’s deputy tasered criminal justice reform activist and Wichita Police Department watchdog, John Polson, on the 3rd floor of the Sedgwick County Courthouse a couple of months ago. I am sure that the current Eagle crime team leader, L Kelly, or her WSU journalism professor-husband do not think that the incident was newsworthy eventhough the 60 year old unarmed victim had a serious heart condition and that the unarmed victim was tasered in a secured building that screens all visitors through a metal detector.
I’m sure that the Eagle does not want to do anything to upset Sheriff Gary Steed. Since L Kelly’s father was a Wichita homicide detective, maybe she grew up believing that government corruption and police abuse is a normal perogative of the pwoerful in a fascist society. I know that retired Supreme Court Justices Fred Six and Hal Herd (deceased) failed to teach their attorney-sons to expose corruption or fight to protect the powerless. After all who wants to be a courageous attorney when you can be a corrupt judge or a wealthly dishonest influence peddling attorney or a bully prosecutor.
If any one talks to Mike Lehr, please tell hinm to give me a call. God has a plan. There are powerful forces from outside of the state that are mobilzing. Even the Wichita Eagle msut pay lip service to free speech, the truth is too powerful. I predict that they Foulston name will never be the same and that Lehr will be vindicated. Little Timmy Moore will never be an appelate judge no mattr how many iou’s or favors are earned by his wife. Does anyone think thatit is strange that we are having all of these scandals when the retired US Attorney for Kansas, Ben Burgess, is a district ocurt judge and family law ethics expert, Julie Arigano is involved in so many family law & juvenile cases? It probably makesas much sense as the scandals occurring with Best Attoirney in America, Sheila Floodman continuing to argue child custody cases before child custody expert & retired Judge Jim Beasley. The truth is a very powerful force.
Bill McKean kiakahahaha@yahoo.com 293-6079
Where was Carl Brewer on this as a city councilman? Is he going to call on the NAACP to step up to the plate? What about the money the city council just approved for the area with the most gang violence? Shouldn’t that money go for this? Are the people in those neighborhoods going to step up to the plate?
Before he became Mayor, Councilman Brewer was the strongest advocate for the Police Department on those Councils. He always advocated modernization of equipment, community policing, and increasing the ranks of our police officers. His strong “Go away, we don’t want you hear” speech last week was NOT THE FIRST time he had made such a speech.
And his push for the New Community Initiatives program is a step in the direction of crime control also. Any concerted, efficiently administered plan to improve the quality of life in blight-plagued neighborhoods, bulldozing dilapidated housing, and giving residents pride in their neighborhoods will result in more cooperation with police, and more dissatisfaction with allowing the status quo (gangs in your neighborhoods) to continue to prevail.
In a country were hunting is very popular, long guns are common but not hand guns because there is a fear that handguns created too much eextreme voilence. Stats now out show that Toronto, a city the size of Chicago, had 80 murders (highest ever) 5 years ago, 50 by hand guns thus creating an uproar in the press for crackdowns, banning, etc. In 2007 there were 82 murders but only 25 by handguns. A common demoninator is gang-on-gang/drug related violence, for all but seven victims of the 82 were black. A poll just taken shows that the majority of Canadians don’t want to ban hand guns, just enforce the laws on the books. This, from a country supposed to be soft on gun ownership, eh!
Yes, we need to provide all the tools needed for gang reduction. I provided info for the Chief a few months ago on the Immigration dept. training called Section 287g. Tulsa has implemented it as part of the Oklahoma anti illegal alien law.
ICE will provide this 287g training then the local law enforcement can enforce immigration laws to toss the gang members directly into a “depportation” mode if involved in a crime.
We urge the Mayor, city council and Chier to contact ICE and obtain this training. Many larger cities now use it to address segments of the Gang issue. Get them clear out of the country, stop messing with the merry-go round of prison where the gangs get even stronger and make more contacts.
Maybe if criminals actually went to prison it would help bring down crime. Seems like nowdays the most anyone gets for their criminal behavior is a slap on the hand. Take the criminals off the streets and maybe things would get better..as it is, you have to kill someone to get a prison term and then it’s not even life, but parole after 15 yrs.
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Jessie…
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Jack…
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Eric…
Man, your mind fascinates me. Thanks again for sharing….
Jack…
I?ll admit it. i have been to your blog SIX times since your last post looking for a new post?….
cops…
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