Wichita Police Department

Wichita Police Department
Abbreviation WPD

Patch of the Wichita Police Department
Agency overview
Employees 862[1]
Legal personality Governmental: Government agency
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction* City of Wichita in the state of Kansas, USA
Map of Wichita Police Department's jurisdiction.
Size 138.9 square miles (360 km2)
Population 361,420 (2006)[2]
General nature
Operational structure
Headquarters Wichita, Kansas
Agency executive Gordon Ramsay, Chief of Police
Facilities
Chevy Tahoe PIs Ford Crown Victoria PI
Website
Wichita Police
Footnotes
* Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction.

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 Sedgwick County Sheriff's office.The WPD is housed at the City Hall building located at 455 N Main, Wichita, Kansas.

Current chief

The current chief is Chief Gordon Ramsay. Chief Ramsay was appointed as chief on 18 December 2015, and was sworn in as Chief of Police, relieving Interim Chief Nelson Mosley, in January 2016. 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.[3]

Organization

Rank Structure

Title Insignia
Chief of Police
Deputy Chief (Division Commander)
Captain (Bureau Commander)
Lieutenant (Watch/Unit Commander)
Sergeant
Detective
Police Officer

Investigation Division

The investigation division consists of the following Bureaus and Sections:

Property Crimes Bureau

The Property Crimes Bureau consists of the following sections:

Crimes Against Persons Bureau

The Crimes Against Persons Bureau consists of the following sections:

Special Investigations Bureau

The Special Investigations Bureau consists of two sections:

Patrol Division

The City of Wichita is divided into 4 bureaus for field patrol officers and substations have been established in each of the areas for a closer connection to the neighborhoods they serve.

Plans for a fifth bureau, meant to serve mid-town Wichita, are being reviewed by the City Council.[4]

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,[5] 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 [6]

Demographics

Breakdown of the makeup of the rank and file of WPD: [7]

New recruit training

New recruits have been trained simultaneously with the recruits from the Sedgwick County Sheriff's office since 1985 at the Wichita-Sedgwick 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.

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 conviction in 2005.[8] A blood sample from his daughter was used to confirm DNA tests that linked Rader to ten killings committed between 1974 and 1991 Dennis 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.[9]

A notable event in WPD's history was the Herman Hill riot on Easter Sunday, 1979, at a park called Herman Hill, where 88 people were arrested and at least 51 were injured.

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,[10] 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.[11]

Awards

The WPD was honored to receive awards including:

1991 Police Chief Rick Stone named "Law Enforcement Officer of the Year".

The United States Department of Justice Marshal's Service selected Wichita Police Chief Rick Stone for this honor "on the basis of outstanding professionalism and law enforcement leadership". At the award ceremony in the nation's capitol, Chief Stone passed the credit on to his officers and staff.[12]

2003 Webber Seavey Excellence in Law Enforcement Award [13] 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.

Fallen officers

Since the establishment of the Wichita Police Department, 19 officers have died in the line of duty.[14]

Officer Date of Death Details
William L. Humphries
Tuesday, February 23, 1915
 Gunfire
Frank W. Griswold
Sunday, May 23, 1915
 Gunfire
William H. Ballard
Tuesday, July 20, 1920
 Gunfire
A. L. Young
Saturday, November 5, 1921
 Gunfire
Robert Fitzpatrick
Monday, November 21, 1921
 Gunfire
Charles D. Hoffman
Wednesday, November 23, 1921
 Gunfire
Charles E. Galloway
Sunday, July 15, 1923
 Duty related illness
Robert C. Scudder
Tuesday, November 27, 1923
 Gunfire
Harrison R. Brown
Sunday, January 4, 1925
 Gunfire
Edward F. Hall
Friday, April 10, 1925
 Gunfire
Vernon G. Ogden
Sunday, June 26, 1927
 Vehicle pursuit
Joseph G. Marshall
Tuesday, August 9, 1927
 Gunfire
Paul E. Gilmore
Friday, July 18, 1930
 Motorcycle accident
James O. Pugh
Friday, August 1, 1930
 Motorcycle accident
Merle R. Colver
Friday, August 14, 1931
 Gunfire
David A. Kenyon
Friday, October 26, 1962
 Gunfire
Paul Garofalo
Saturday, November 8, 1980
 Gunfire
Danny Dean Laffey
Tuesday, January 5, 1982
 Struck by vehicle
John Eugene Galvin
Saturday, November 4, 2000
 Explosion

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.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Wichita Police site
  2. ↑ "Table 1: Annual Estimates of the Population for Incorporated Places Over 100,000, Ranked by July 1, 2007 Population: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2007" (CSV). 2007 Population Estimates. United States Census Bureau, Population Division. 2008-07-10. Retrieved 2008-07-10.
  3. ↑ Wichita police Racial Profiling Study
  4. ↑ City Council Considering Adding Fifth Wichita Police Bureau
  5. ↑ http://www.wichita.gov/CityOffices/Police/Special+Operations/Air+Section/Air+Section.htm
  6. ↑ Air Beat Magazine
  7. ↑ Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics, 2000: Data for Individual State and Local Agencies with 100 or More Officers Archived September 27, 2006, at the Wayback Machine.
  8. ↑ Police Chief Magazine
  9. ↑ National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund
  10. ↑ USDOJ
  11. ↑ Article by Axcess News
  12. ↑ "Chief chosen best in U.S.- A summer of professionalism" Wichita Eagle. November 26, 1991
  13. ↑ International Association of Chiefs of Police
  14. ↑ The Officer Down Memorial Page
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