SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities report that they have seen a decrease this summer in the number of guns stolen from cars in Wichita. 

According to Lt. Scott Bruno, 47 guns were stolen from cars during June and July in 2018. Only 26 were stolen in 2019 for a total of 120 guns so far this year after 250 were reported stolen in 2018.

The majority of the guns are stolen between midnight and 5a.m. after they are left in in cars overnight, according to Brunow.

The Wichita police department has started the Operation Save-A-Casing program. It is a partnership with law enforcement agencies at the local, state and federal level and the community to combat firearm-related crime, according to the department web site.

 

Here’s a map of guns stolen from cars YTD in Wichita https://t.co/rUvt3InrHQ pic.twitter.com/HMjTjJdXwi

— Lt.Scott Brunow (@AutoTheftWPD) August 20, 2019

 

 

The campaign works by submitting two firearm casings to a Wichita Police Department Officer after a gun theft has occurred. These casings are then submitted into National Integrated Ballistic Information Network known as NIBIN, a national database containing digital images of spent bullets and cartridge casings that were found at crime scenes or test-fired from confiscated firearms. This database can be searched for possible matches and if a “hit” occurs, the NIBIN lab sends that information to WPD investigators.

Participation is completely voluntary, however, we encourage the community to take part in an effort to reduce violent crime involving firearms.