Crime reports rose in Wichita last week

Crime reports rose in Wichita last weekPhoto: iStock
Hoodline
Published on September 06, 2019

The number of crime incidents in Wichita saw an overall increase last week, for the second week in a row, according to data from SpotCrime, which collects reports from police agencies and validated sources. Incidents rose to 221 for the week of Aug. 26, up from 189 the week before.

The overall increase in crime reports was led by theft and assault. Theft rose to 61 incidents last week, from 48 the week before. Assault went from 41 to 44. Reports of theft have continued to grow for the last three weeks, while assault incidents have been increasing for the last two weeks.

There was one reported arson last week. That represents a steady state from the previous week. There was also one shooting incident.

Among the few types of offenses that saw a downturn last week, reports of burglary went from 13 to 10.

There were 97 reports of "other" crimes, an increase of 16 from the previous week. SpotCrime's broad "other" category includes a variety of offenses like fraud, trespassing, public disturbance and traffic violations. Of those incidents, 30 involved arrests, such as for drug possession, up from 16 reported arrests the week before.

Looking at crime patterns in different areas of the city, Historic Midtown, South Central and Hilltop–Jefferson had the most reported incidents last week. Historic Midtown and South Central were at the top of the list the previous week as well.

Historic Midtown saw the largest increase. Crime reports in South Central also rose for a second week, and incidents in Hilltop–Jefferson are up considerably as well.

Regarding when crime most often occurs, Tuesday, Sunday and Thursday had the most reported crimes last week. The largest increase from the previous week occurred on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, while incidents on Wednesday went down. Comparing times of day, evening, late night and after midnight continue to see the most crime incidents.

Want a longer-term view of crime in Wichita? Here's our latest monthly crime report.

To report a crime in progress or life-threatening emergency, call 911. To report a non-urgent crime or complaint, contact your local police department.

Head to SpotCrime to get free local crime alerts in your area.

This story was created automatically using local crime data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about our data sources and local crime methodology. Got thoughts about what we're doing? Go here to share your feedback.