Andanh.com

Property crime was up 4 percent last year in Wichita, a jump that concerns police officials. And with burglaries and thefts showing double-digit increases over the first four months of 2008, police are blunt about their need for help in turning around the trend.

"Citizens need to be involved in this, or crime is going to go up," Deputy Chief Tom Stolz said. "I don't know how else to say it."

Police Chief Norman Williams said federal funds that once helped his department are being diverted to homeland security. That, he said, is forcing police to operate with fewer resources.

And in order to do that, he said, police must rely on residents to report suspicious activity and practice crime prevention techniques.

"Times have changed," Williams said. "We can't put an officer on every street corner."