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The move to Community Policing began in Wichita, Kansas, in 1993, when the Mayor and the City Council initiated a comprehensive community improvement strategy called the “Neighborhood Initiative”.
Elma Broadfoot, the Mayor newly elected in 1995, became interested in improving police service. The Mayor convened a group known as the Mayor’s Select Committee on Public Safety, chaired by ex-Chief of Police Richard LaMunyon. The committee included business leaders, community leaders, representatives from the District Attorney’s Office and City Law Department. Their purpose was to review the operation of the police department, accurately and realistically assess and evaluate the department’s total staffing requirements, resources, supervision, leadership, and level of morale, making recommendations to correct deficiencies.
Officers at all levels have access to a variety of departmental information. Criminal History Records Information is available by phone or in person 24 hours a day in the Records Bureau. Officers may also access information which may be relevant to any given situation through Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) call information. Problem Oriented Policing (POP) files are available 24 hours day in the area substations. Each officer can also access, at any time, the detective day notes on persons charged criminally via police computer terminals at each substation and the City building. Mobile Computer Terminals (MCT) are now in marked police vehicles. The computers improve information access and speed the reporting process.
Drive-by shooting is a purposeful act of violence used to instill fear and intimidation into a community. This sort of domestic terrorism has become more prevalent in our community since 1989 -- the year our City realized an increase in gang presence emanating from the West Coast. Drive-by shootings are the signature act of juvenile gangs and are often associated with competition over drugs or gang “territory”. This type of incident is usually not well organized, but an unplanned crime of opportunity to seek vengeance or retribution for a perceived “wrong” or “challenge”. This randomness made it difficult for law enforcement to confront the problem with a proactive approach.
Based on the Wichita Police Department’s national reputation for community policing activities, the Wichita Police Department was one of twelve United States Law Enforcement agencies selected to participate in the International Association of Chiefs of Police / United States Department International Law Enforcement Exchange Program with countries formerly part of the Soviet Union. The other American law enforcement agencies selected were Baltimore, Maryland; Bellingham, Washington; Denton, Texas; Indianapolis, Indiana; Memphis, Tennessee, Montgomery County, Maryland; Pennsylvania State Police Department Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; San Antonio, Texas; San Diego, California and San Francisco, California.
Responding to the needs of the community, possible future services planned for Wichita Police On-line include obtaining crime reports, interactive crime maps, and the ability to query the recovery of stolen property. The Wichita Police Department Web Site has proven to be an excellent medium for providing information and services. Citizens from Wichita, the State of Kansas, across the United States, and abroad have routinely complimented the site and visit often.
Also included in the History Book:
SCAT
Community Policing
Patrol Bureaus
Computers in Patrol Cars
Weber Seavey Award
School Resource Officers
Drive-by Task Force
Weed and Seed |