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Wichita Break-Ins and Home Security
The Wichita Eagle reported 45 homicides in 2025. The Wichita Police Department year-end snapshot said overall crime was down 12 percent, with burglaries down 18 percent, auto thefts down 10 percent, and larcenies down 15 percent. Those are citywide numbers. They are not a reason to leave a College Hill side door unlocked on a Tuesday while you sit Downtown.
What Wichita finished 2025 with
The Eagle counted 45 homicides for 2025, up two from 43 in 2024, with a 91 percent clearance rate. WPD’s snapshot used a different homicide count and highlighted property-crime drops. Those counts mix College Hill, Delano, Downtown, East Wichita, Westlink, and South Wichita. A quieter street is not 24/7 monitoring, and a neighbor on the porch is not an ADT operator. We do not publish neighborhood crime rates.
Direction on the citywide mix is real. Mayor Lily Wu and Chief Joe Sullivan have both spoken to public safety. The reason people still order is occupancy: porch packages, a tried door, and houses that sit empty after drop-off or a commute on Kellogg, I-135, or K-96.
Boxes on College Hill, Delano, and Old Town porches
Walkable streets are why people add a doorbell. College Hill, Delano, Old Town, and Riverside houses collect boxes on porches while owners are at work, on Kellogg, or Downtown. A camera you check yourself is useful. It is not the same as ADT calling you when a door opens.
The system is for the hours no one is looking out the window — not a claim that Derby or Andover is dangerous.
Empty houses after school drop-off and the aviation commute
Wichita USD 259 drop-off empties in-city two-stories. Derby USD 260, Andover USD 385, Maize USD 266, Goddard USD 265, and Haysville USD 261 empty the rest of the map until pickup. A Spirit, Textron, or McConnell shift empties Westlink and Derby doors the same way. That is when people want the system armed.
What people actually order after a missing box or a leftover keypad
Door and window sensors, including the garage and any extra unit if you have one. A doorbell camera if packages sit out front. Outdoor cameras if the driveway holds a car overnight. Cellular backup so the panel still reaches ADT when Evergy or Wi-Fi drops. That is the Wichita order, not a twelve-camera quote unless you ask for one.
Get a quote: (316) 600-9771 Neighborhoods we serve
Sources: Wichita Eagle (45 homicides in 2025); Wichita Police Department year-end snapshot (overall crime down 12%, burglaries down 18%). Mayor Lily Wu. Chief Joe Sullivan. Numbers change. We cite the year. We do not publish neighborhood crime rates.
Is Wichita “safe enough” to skip monitoring?
Citywide property crime was down in that 2025 snapshot. Porch theft and empty houses did not take the year off. Monitoring is for the hours you commute, work an aviation shift, or leave for school drop-off — not a verdict on your ZIP.
Who shows up if the alarm trips?
ADT can request help based on the alert type. Inside the city that is typically Wichita Police Department. Derby, Andover, Maize, and other cities dispatch differently. Confirm the office from your ZIP. City of Wichita Chapter 3.41 requires a $25 Wichita Alarm Program registration — confirm (877) 888-1355.