The number of law enforcement requests for court-approved wiretaps fell last year by 14 percent nationwide, while the number in Kansas remained relatively steady amid aggressive narcotics investigations.

The latest report by the Administrative Office of the United States Courts shows 2,732 intercepts were approved last year by federal and state courts. Federal authorities account for 792, while 1,940 came from the 25 states that provide reports.

Judges in the two federal judicial districts in Missouri approved 23 wiretaps in 2011, down from 46 the prior year.

In Kansas, federal judges authorized 22 wiretap applications in 2011, compared to 25 in 2012.

Among the investigations was a Kansas wiretap operation that ran 172 days in 2010 and intercepted 15,578 communications, costing nearly $350,000 and leading to 17 convictions.