On September 15, 2022, Parsons Police Officers were dispatched to criminal damage reports in several different addresses.

                Reports filed were that four vehicles were damaged in the overnight hours. The crimes included slashing tires and damaging paint on vehicles as well as cutting upholstery. The reported crimes happened in the 1300 block of S 26th and the 1100 block of N 26th as well as while one individual was at work in the 3600 block of N 16th.

                The officers were able to collect information from the victims as well as one area where blood was collected. Camera footage of the scenes were reviewed and whereas there was video to review, the identities of the suspects were not able to be derived from the collected video. The evidence will be sent to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab for analysis but due to the backlog of cases at the state level there is no idea when the evidence will be processed.

                There was a social media posts and comments that need to be addressed. The Parsons Police Department is working this case. However, without sufficient evidence filing charges and an arrest can't be made. Officers are working sometimes; 6 days of 12 hours shifts to ensure coverage for patrol. This includes administration working 9-12 days in a row to help supplement the patrol shifts. There was a comment made about officers "working doubles", as they work 12 hours shifts that is not possible.

                Parsons Police Chief Robert Spinks said, "It is disheartening to read some of the posts on social media. We try to be as transparent as possible about our cities crimes and our efforts to help in the community. There has been a bunch of positive comments that supports the department, and we are thankful for those. The negative people I think would understand more if they would reach out and try to talk to an officer and dig deep into what our capabilities are and what we are allowed to do under the color of law. Too often people watch television as a true depiction of police work, and it is just not true. We can't process DNA in a day or fingerprints in the hour. That type of technology is a falsehood. Some crimes with DNA will never get processed per the KBI crime lab policies. We can't control what they decide to process any more than we can control the outcome of a criminal case that is prosecuted. We hope to change people's outlook on law enforcement throughout the region not just our agency."

                The police are asking anyone with information or quality video footage to please call. This case, like many others, relies on the information that the community can provide.

This continues to be an on-going investigation and citizens are encouraged to "See It, Hear It, Report It." If anyone has any further information on this incident or any other criminal activity, please contact the Parsons Police Department at 421-7060 or call the Tip Line at 421-7057 or email at tips@parsonspd.com.

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