Wichita police credit citizens for several burglary arrests

March 31, 2011|By John Boyd | KWCH 12 Eyewitness News

(WICHITA, Kan.) — Wichita police credit the public’s help in several recent burglaries. Police Lt. Doug Nolte says an alert neighbor saw a man who looked out of place in the 500 block of S. Christine early Wednesday.

That neighbor called 911, and when officers arrived at the scene, they found the man walking out of a house with property, which he was loading into a car.

Believing the items to be stolen, officers stopped the car and conducted a search which turned up property from several homes in the area.

Officers were able to locate the victims and return their property. The suspect, a 23-year-old man, was booked into jail on four counts of burglary.

“An alert citizen making a phone call at a very crucial point allowed officers to come to the area to do our job,” Nolte said during the WPD’s daily briefing.

Later that same day, a resident in the 100 block of N. Terrace saw three men taking a television out of her neighbor’s house and load it into a car.

The neighbor took down the tag number and gave it to 911 dispatchers.

Officers found the car at the home it was registered to. They took five people into custody; four of them were booked for burglary. The suspects range in age from 19 – 26 years old.

Nolte says none of the arrests would have been possible without information from citizens. He says a number of people have been calling police to report suspicious activity, they’re taking down tag numbers, car descriptions and in one case, the citizen took a picture of what was going on.

To report suspicious activity, call 911.

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