I have had the opportunity to visit with some residents who live in various parts of Brown County. There have been increased reports of suspicious vehicles noted at different times during the day in different areas of our county. The vehicles are described as cars, SUV’s and pickups of various colors.
As always I appreciate everyone calling into the Sheriffs Office to report these. Our county residents are our best resource when it comes to knowing who should be in a certain area and what is deemed suspicious. If you are able to safely, license plate information is always helpful as well as make,model and color of vehicle and number of occupants.
Several residents have informed me that they have some small items stolen such as rolled up fence wire, old tire rims, fence posts, etc. and just wanted to let us know. Several weeks ago we had an ATV stolen in broad daylight next to US HWY 75 and it was recovered the next day thanks to very observant people in our county.
I want to inform everyone that thefts tend to increase during this time of year, so if you notice something unusual or suspicious, please call us. I would also like to urge those who have vacant homesteads, sheds or remote areas where property is stored or kept, to install trail cameras or similar surveillance to help us identify thieves if they happen to steal from these places.
When we notice an increase of suspicious vehicles being reported, this usually means the thieves are driving around during daylight hours to locate potential property to steal and then come back after dark to load up the items. When convenient, they have been known to steal from vacant homes during the day while people are at work.
This is also starting to increase in other counties across Kansas. Trail cameras and monitoring devices are ideal for homeowners. RING has a very good doorbell device that works off of your wireless internet and sends you notifications to wherever you are through your cell phone.
The KBI crime index report statistics has shown that rural Brown County has the lowest reported crime rate in the northeast Kansas region. I feel that this is due to all of you. That actively report suspicious activity and trust us enough to share confidential information.
We have also modified county patrol to show presence in areas where activity is likely to occur and where reports have been taken.
Remember, if you feel that you should report something, you probably should.
Sheriff John D Merchant
Brown County Sheriff’s Office
