Is Old Town safe? FactFinder 12 looks at the numbers

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March 12, 2012|By Melissa Scheffler | KWCH 12 Eyewitness News

(WICHITA, Kan.) — Riley Hilt and her friend have no problem walking around Old Town during daylight hours.

"At night… it can get a little scary,” Hilt said.

Hilt isn't alone in her feelings about Wichita's entertainment district. After Saturday's shoot-out, our Facebook followers sounded-off about the lack of safety.

Jan Bridgewater Green writes... "Exactly why I NEVER go to Old Town late at night."

Robin Bradley adds... "This is why I moved out of Wichita many years ago and have no regrets about leaving."

"It might be getting worse,” Hilt said.

Or is it?

FactFinder 12 looked at the most recent crime numbers for the Old Town area. According to the Wichita Police Department some types of crime have increased in the last two years, like burglaries, business robberies, and rape. But overall, crime is at the lowest level in five years--thanks to the drop in larceny cases-- like car break-ins.

“Doc Howards” owner Byran Shapiro believes it is a perception that Old Town is not safe. An idea he wants to change.

"We employ a number of off-duty officers, we overstaff our security. We have cameras that watch city property, as well as our own property,” Shapiro said.

Saturday's deadly shooting doesn't change the security plan for officers in Old Town.

"We had officers down there. Officers were doing what they're expected to do. We had on-duty officers, we had off-duty officers, and they were visible,” Police Chief Norman Williams said.

"I always see a cop down here,” Hilt said.

But Riley would like to see more officers, because she's still going to visit Old Town.

The crime statistics for old town do not show the number of aggravated assaults for the area. Wichita police were not able to provide those numbers to us before our deadline. However, city-wide, the number of aggravated assaults increased slightly last year.

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