Wichita police have arrested four people in two recent auto theft cases as part of an ongoing initiative to target high crime areas across the city.
Patrol East captain Kevin Kochenderfer said a crime reduction team and a community policing team have combined into a 14-person unit with a supervisor, and they have focused on “intelligence-based policing” working from tips and intelligence along with statistical data to identify hot spots in the community.
Kochenderfer said two recent cases have been a result of these projects. Three teenagers were arrested Thursday when officers found a stolen SUV in a parking lot in the 8300 block of East Kellogg. Five people ran from the SUV, and police caught up with three boys, ages 15, 14 and 16. A fourth teen got away and a teenage girl was turned over to a guardian. The SUV was reported stolen Wednesday from a home in the 8100 block of West Havenhurst Circle.
A 37-year-old man was arrested Thursday when officers found a stolen Ford Raptor at a collision and repair business. They found a number of stolen items, including a handgun, license plates and another stolen vehicle.
Kochenderfer said the projects over a seven-week period have resulted in 98 arrests for various crimes, 17 guns have been recovered, and ten stolen vehicles have been found. Officers have also seized a variety of narcotics.
Another project that will be coming up will be called the Major Crime Metropolitan Deterrence Initiative, which will be working to address gun violence.
