Press Releases

The Topeka Police Department on Tuesday released a mid-year report showing crime is down in all categories in the City of Topeka.

The report highlights statistics from January 1, 2022 through June 30, 2022 in the City of Topeka, and compares the information with the same period in 2021.

According to the report, violent crime is down 4.5% in comparison to 2021. In addition, property crime is down 14.8%. Overall crime is down 13.1% in Topeka.

This mid-year report follows the 2021 year-end report which was released in January 2022. That report showed the City of Topeka had a five-year low in homicides, a three-year low in shootings, and overall crime was down 25% in comparison with 2020.

“The Topeka community and the Topeka Police Department’s collaborative efforts in 2021 were absolutely outstanding. In stark contrast to the national norm, Topeka had downward crime statistics in all categories. The 2022 mid-year report, at this stage, is a continuation of that impressive declining crime trend. Particularly encouraging, is the 2022 continued reduction of homicides and shootings. There is still a significant portion of the year that remains, but I am proud of the tremendous police work that has been done thus far,” said Topeka Police Chief Bryan Wheeles. “I am confident this positive progress will continue in the Capital City on all fronts. I am thankful to be the Chief of Police in a city that has such strong community-wide support for its law enforcement professionals. That support is an essential piece to any strong and vibrant municipality.”

To view the 2022 mid-year report in English, visit https://cot-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/police/2022+TPD+Mid+Year+Report.pdf.

To view the report in Spanish, visit https://cot-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/police/2022+TPD+Mid+Year+Report+-+Spanish.pdf.

 

The point-in-time count of homeless persons in Topeka took place on January 29th. This one day event produces a snapshot of the individuals in our community experiencing homelessness as defined by Housing and Urban Development. This data is used to support federal funding for the Continuum of Care Initiative. In 2019 the Topeka Rescue Mission saw 441 people experiencing homelessness. In 2020 that number decreased to 401. 17% of the homeless population in Topeka was under 18, for a total of 68 persons under 18. Overall the numbers of homelessness in Topeka decreased from last year.

“The point-in-time count helps us to identify those people in need and to attain the resources that we need to help them,” said Corrie Wright, Division Director of Housing Services for the City of Topeka. “We want to thank all the volunteers who helped us with the count and who are helping to make our community better.”

The information gathered during the point-in-time count helps the City of Topeka understand the face of homelessness in the community so that services are meeting the needs of homeless persons. This count also helps to raise public awareness surrounding issues with homelessness and measures the community progress towards preventing and ending homelessness.

The City of Topeka’s Housing Services Division has totaled the numbers from this year’s point-in-time count. This one day event produced a snapshot of individuals in our community experiencing homelessness.

• 401 People experiencing homelessness.
• 306 Households experiencing homelessness.
• 188 individuals have a serious mental illness.
• 157 individuals are chronically homeless.
• 63% of people were in an emergency shelter, 13% were in transitional housing and 24% were unsheltered.

Thirty individuals helped with the point-in-time homeless count. Below is a chart that details and compares the numbers from 2019 and 2020. An extra 53 people in the Emergency Shelter and 42 people in Transitional Housing chose not to be surveyed.

 

2019                                                   2020

 

People	441	401
Households	349	306
% of single adults	90	87
% of adults with children	10	13
% of youth households	16	17
% of veteran households	12	10
People with serious mental illness	212	188
People who are chronically homeless	181	157
People with a substance abuse disorder	112	68
People who are victims of domestic violence	49	54
% in an emergency shelter	70	63
% in transitional housing	15	13
% unsheltered	15	24

 

On Friday, March 13th, the City of Topeka Utilities Department will be conducting routine hazardous material training. This training will be visible from US I-70 and will involve the use of harmless green smoke and employees in Class A hazardous material protective suits.
We want to inform the public of this training so that if seen from nearby, the sight will not raise concern. This is routine annual training to make sure that our employees are ready to respond to emergencies.

Starting Monday September 21^st, the Kansas River Public Access on Saline Road in North Topeka will be closed while necessary construction takes place at the river weir and boat ramp area. This is a popular area for fisherman and canoe access. However, for safety reasons the entire area will be closed to the public during construction which is expected to last until December 31st, 2020.

The project underway at this location will include a paddler channel which will allow safe navigation through the left side of the existing river weir without having to portage. The other features of the project include alteration of existing wing dikes and installation of rock and concrete surfaces below the weir to improve public safety.

For river users, recommended alternate locations for river access during construction are the boat ramps in Kaw River State Park or Seward Avenue Access.

You can learn more and follow the progress of the project using the Topeka Open Projects Dashboard under Project Number T-281058.01, KS River Weir Upstream Modifications.

Starting on October 1st, the Kansas River Public Access on Saline Road in North Topeka will be closed while necessary construction takes place at the river weir and boat ramp area. The river will be completely closed during construction due to the contractor building a bridge over the boat chute to drive equipment over the weir. There will be no access to or from the boat ramps on Saline Road in North Topeka. Portage of boats through the construction zone is possible on the north bank. This project is phase 2 of the Kansas River weir construction project. Phase 1 of the project was completed earlier this year and included a boat chute for safe passage. For safety reasons the entire area will be closed to the public during construction, including the safe passage area, and construction is expected to last until early 2022.

The project underway at this location will include additional safety features on the south side of the river weir. The project includes the installation of rock and concrete surfaces on the downstream side of the weir to improve public safety.

For river users, recommended alternate locations for river access during construction are the boat ramps in Kaw River State Park or Seward Avenue Access.

You can learn more and follow the progress of the project using the Topeka Open Projects Dashboard under Project Number T-281058.01, KS River Weir Upstream Modifications.

The City of Topeka Utilities Department routinely responds to sanitary sewer overflows, but wants to help residents in preventing them.   The department is asking residents to be cautious of what they flush down their sewer systems as they have seen a rise in the marketing of “flushable” products in response to toilet paper shortages.  Products like sanitary wipes, facial tissue and paper towels, do not dissolve in the sewer system and combine with fats, oils, and grease which can lead to blockages in sewer pipes.

The only product recommended by the Utilities Department to be flushed down the toilet is toilet paper. If you are unable to buy toilet paper during this time and must use an alternative sanitary product, please throw it in the trash when you are finished.

Blockages in the sanitary sewer system cause damage to the infrastructure, may cause sewer overflows which harm the environment, and lead to expensive repairs for the City. These products may cause blockages and service related problems in private sewer lines which may require expensive repairs for property owners.

The City of Topeka and the United States Army Corps of Engineers will host a public meeting on a study conducted by the Corps on possible measures for reducing flood risk in the Shunganunga Creek. The meeting will be held on October, 25th from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in the Holliday Building at 620 Madison Street.
After a flood event in 2007, the City of Topeka asked the Corps to conduct a study on the Shunganunga creek and look at options for flood control. In this 50/50 cost shared study, the Corps completed hydrologic models of past flooding, including the 2007 flood. The Corps also performed real estate assessments, surveys, plan formulation, construction cost estimates, and economic analyses. The Corps has used this data to evaluate multiple alternatives to reduce flood risk in the watershed.
The Corps will be presenting some potential improvements to help reduce flood risk. Some of the alternatives would potentially be eligible for federal cost share. Projects that qualify under the federal program would be eligible for 65-35 split cost between the Corps and the City of Topeka. There is a cap on the Corps contribution of $10 million in improvements, including the cost of the study and design.
The public is invited to this meeting to listen to and provide input on the recommendations from the Army Corps of Engineers.
For more information, contact the Utilities Department at 785-368-3111.

The City of Topeka is offering a Small Business Grant Program for 2020. Any business that employed between 1-25 persons as of March 1^st, 2020 is eligible for the program. The applicant can apply for up to $20,000 in assistance for eligible expenses. The owner of the business must be low to moderate income (LMI) or employ low to moderate income person(s).

HUD defines LMI as no more than 80% of the median family income for the area. Please refer to chart on Page 1 of application form.

The purpose of the Small Business Grant Program is to provide operating assistance to business owners to continue the operations of independent small businesses and keep residents employed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the City is utilizing federal funding through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, all operating assistance must be utilized under federal regulations. Completed applications will be accepted on or after October 1, 2020. Applications will be accepted continuously until funding has been depleted.

“The City of Topeka is grateful to work with our federal and local partners on stretching the safety net for our small businesses during recovery. Particularly so our most vulnerable population can keep working through these unprecedented times,” said Planning Director Bill Fiander.

Grant funds can be put towards the following expenses that occurred after March 17, 2020:

• Payroll
• Rent/Mortgage,
• Utilities
• Loss of Inventory
• And any purchases needed that were COVID-19 related, such as food packaging supplies, PPE equipment, changes required to work station to maintain social distancing, etc.

Applicants will have until October 20, 2021 to use the grant funds. Minority and Women owned businesses will receive priority in the selection process, and 25% of the total grant allocation will be set aside for MBE/WBE businesses. Grants can’t duplicate funding requested and received through other federal sources or programs. Grant funds cannot be used to pay off debt.

 

 

 

The City of Topeka continues to work through the investigation into the use of force that was generated during the arrest of Tamiko Mitchell on August 23. We are aware that the Facebook post about her interaction with a police officer is causing concern in our community. The Topeka Police Department is conducting their internal investigation into the use of force and we want you to know that we remain committed to being transparent throughout this process. At the conclusion of the investigations, findings will be released to the public when possible.

In this case and with any use of force that is generated during an arrest, a supervisor is notified immediately and they arrive on scene to speak to the citizen involved in the use of force. In this instance, the Shift Commander responded to the scene, which starts the official internal Use of Force Review Board process. This extensive review process goes through multiple layers to ensure the use of force was done legally, within policy and in accordance with our training procedures. This process is currently underway and has been since the arrest took place on August 23. You can find more information on the Topeka Police Department’s Use of Force Policies on the website: https://www.topeka.org/tpd/topeka-police-policies/

“The City of Topeka is moving as quickly as possible to complete the investigation.  We take this incident very seriously and are committed to a fair and complete investigation of the facts related to Ms. Mitchell’s incident and injury,” said City Manager Brent Trout.

The Independent Police Auditor, Ed Collazo, will conduct an independent investigation of the incident. We understand the community’s desire to see the body worn camera video. The City of Topeka will be releasing the body worn camera video of the incident once legal requirements are met.

City Manager Brent Trout contacted a representative of Ms. Mitchell to request an opportunity to meet with her, that request has not been accepted at this time.

Topeka City Manager Stephen Wade announced Tuesday that he is taking an extended leave of absence for an undisclosed amount of time.

At Tuesday’s City Council Meeting, the City of Topeka’s Governing Body took action to temporarily name Richard U. Nienstedt of Ottawa as acting City Manager. Nienstedt, a tenured City Manager and City Administrator, retired from the City of Ottawa in March.

“I want to assure the Topeka community and the city’s dedicated staff, that I will honorably serve the city during this time. It is my priority to ensure the continuity of operations of the city, and I’m honored the Governing Body selected me for this temporary role,” said Nienstedt.

Nienstedt is married to his wife Rita, and together they have three grown children who live in Olpe, Garnett, and Columbia, Missouri. They are proud grandparents to nine grandchildren.

Nienstedt assumed the role as Acting City Manager Tuesday night, and will begin working in Topeka later this week.

The Governing Body wants to assure the community that the business of the city will not be interrupted during this time. As this relates to a personnel matter, the city will not be commenting further.