End-of-year crime report gives TPD more direction in 2023

TOPEKA (KSNT) - Overall crime was down 10% from 2021, but the Topeka Police Department says it had some wins, as well as some concerns in 2022, decreasing hot spots for crime being one of the biggest.

Some Topeka neighborhoods are considered to be hot spots for crime and are in need of extra work. Topeka Police Chief Bryan Wheeles says identifying crime trends is the first step.

"Every two weeks, the entire command staff and a lot of our partners meet together, and we always talk about these trends that we have and how we're going to address them," Wheeles said. "And then, we circle back and hold the commanders accountable for okay, did that reduce. Did that move the spot around?"

Different parts of the city see different types of crime, and that can vary based on the time of day or week. By constantly adapting its strategy, police are making an impact.

"That's how you reduce crime at the end of the year," Wheeles said. "You chip away at it every week you make sure that you're using your resources where you can. When you need to pop up and put together a proactive operation of officers out here at night... you do that."

One of the most costly property crimes Topeka saw in 2022 were catalytic converter thefts. Wheeles says TPD is working on a possible solution that targets the root issue.

"To address a specific property crime issue that we saw in 2022 that we're trying to come up with an answer for in 2023," Wheeles said. "And that answer from a police perspective is to give us an additional enforcement tool - an ordinance - that allows us to address that."

This ordinance is currently on the agenda for the Topeka City Council on Jan. 17.