2 juveniles found guilty of aggravated arson for fire at Rawlins County High School
19 March 2024
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – More young people are becoming responsible for violent crimes in Wichita, according to law enforcement. Solutions were the focus of a roundtable discussion Monday with community leaders.
A phrase that was repeated by law enforcement again and again: “We’re not going to arrest our way out of this problem.” They said stopping teens from making life-altering decisions starts with proper support.
Wichita Police Chief Joe Sullivan says it’s important to intervene early with at-risk youth
he says when they can’t find support in their own families, they turn to gangs for the love and protection they’re missing. He says they need more help as opposed to more punishment.
“We have to do more on that end to identify the people that are most at risk,” said Chief Sullivan.
Senator Roger Marshall agrees that support is needed.
“The change in attitude over the last decade is to help people to not commit crimes in the future, trying to reach kids when they’re younger,” said Senator Marshall.
Ricardo Harris runs Wichita State University’s GEAR UP program, helping teens access higher education. His son was killed in a drive-by shooting.
“The people that work with young people, we’ve got to be real, and we’ve got to show our hearts to the point where we really more than care,” said Harris. “It’s more than just checking a box and saying we’ve done it, but we really care about this young person, we care about this family we care about this community.”
Another important factor is cracking down on drugs, leading to violence.
“With the juveniles getting guns, that’s simply through burglaries or drug trade,” said Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter.
“I can’t even remember the last time we had a serious crime where drugs weren’t involved somehow, some way,” said Wichita Police Chief Joe Sullivan.
Senator Marshall says a rise in crime is happening nationally, not just in Wichita. Chief Sullivan says a spike in homicides did happen at the start of this year. He says although that’s gone down the numbers are still too high.