KBI reports statewide drops in many crimes but flags child victimization, fentanyl and staffing needs

Bob Stewart, executive officer of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, told the Joint Committee on Kansas Security on Oct. 24 that many of Kansas’s traditional index crimes fell in 2024 but that serious threats and gaps remain.

Stewart opened with the broad picture: "In 2024, 12,643 violent crimes were reported" and overall violent crime was down, he said. He told the committee that murders fell to 117 — about 24% below the 10‑year average — and that thefts, burglaries and motor vehicle thefts all declined. At the same time, he said, aggravated assaults were up, reporting 10,597 incidents — 7.8% above the 10‑year average and a 32.4% rise from pre‑COVID numbers.

Stewart placed the data in context and warned against complacency: even with declines, "we still have 12,643 victims of violent crime" and many offenses go unreported. He described motor‑vehicle theft as the most reliably reported offense because of insurance claims and said the 7,407 motor‑vehicle thefts in 2024 (a 7.2% drop from the 10‑year average) support the broader downward trend in reported crime.

Nut graf — why it matters: Stewart said the mix of falling and rising figures matters for resource planning and public safety. He told lawmakers the state’s ability to detect, investigate and prosecute serious crimes depends on consistent reporting to the Kansas Incident Based Reporting System (KIBRS), timely lab results, and sustained interagency work.

Child victims and cyber tips: Stewart singled out crimes against children as a major area of concern. The KBI’s child‑victim unit expanded statewide in recent years and opened 56 full investigations in 2024, he said; the unit also opened 44 full Internet‑Crimes‑Against‑Children cases and conducted 77 forensic interviews. Stewart cited the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) cyber tipline totals — 540,000 online tips routed nationally in 2024 and 20.5 million cyber tips entered to the NCMEC cyber tipline in 2024 — and said grooming and online enticement increasingly precede physical abuse. He warned that moving from online material (often labeled CSAM) to in‑person abuse is a commonly observed progression.

Stewart and committee members discussed details of child‑homicide and toxicology review: the State Child Death Review Board reviewed 32 child homicides in 2023 and reported 180 child deaths with toxicology testing; of those 180, 41 (23%) had substances detected (13 with marijuana present, seven with fentanyl, five with alcohol and four with methamphetamine). The KBI also said it registered 314 instances of criminal sexual conduct in 2024 with 207 victims under 18 and 56 under 10.

Drugs and enforcement: Stewart said fentanyl remains the top drug threat in Kansas according to the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) assessments, followed by methamphetamine and rising cocaine seizures. He reported KBI seizures in 2024 that included 94,515 fentanyl pills and more than 1 kilogram of fentanyl powder, about 170 kilograms of methamphetamine and 4.5 kg of cocaine. Stewart described a 2024 enforcement action, directed by the attorney general and KBI leadership, that seized illegal THC products and related paraphernalia from retail outlets (figures Stewart supplied included 43,867 pre‑rolled marijuana cigarettes, 35,627 vapes, 343 pounds of THC flour and 95,686 packages of THC‑containing edibles), and $34,535 in currency.

Emerging substances: Stewart raised kratom and concentrated kratom derivatives as a growing concern, mentioning a bill (he referred to it as "House bill 22 30") to address synthetic concentrated products containing the opioid‑acting alkaloid 7‑OH; he told lawmakers the Kansas Department of Health and Environment had recently issued a warning and that products with concentrated 7‑OH were being sold in shops.

Investigative capacity, labs and reporting limits: Stewart stressed that statistics reflect both crime incidence and reporting practices. He said about 2.55% of Kansas’s population lives in jurisdictions that did not report crime to KIBRS for 2024, and that delayed electronic submissions, manual reporting and other gaps cause periodic revisions. He described the Forensic Science Center work and said lab capacity and turnaround remain priorities; the KBI also operates a range of information systems — fingerprint checks, registries and the central message switch — that support investigations. Stewart said the KBI opened 592 full investigations in 2024 and had a 97% conviction rate over the last decade for cases taken to prosecutors.

Human trafficking and domestic violence: Stewart described recent legislative changes that require better reporting and protective custody for suspected child trafficking victims (he cited KSA 30‑82‑231(b)(3) in his remarks). For 2024, he cited Polaris and state data showing 35 inbound Polaris tips routed to Kansas and additional local tips; early 2025 data showed inbound Polaris tips rising (he reported 20 Polaris tips so far in 2025 and increases in public/local law‑enforcement human‑trafficking tips). Stewart also said domestic‑violence incidents numbered 21,911 in 2024; domestic violence accounted for a portion of the state’s homicides.

Officer safety: Stewart closed by noting four line‑of‑duty deaths already in 2025 and urging attention to violent confrontations, grievance‑fueled attacks, and radicalization that can increase risk to officers and public officials.

Ending: Stewart asked legislators to keep a focus on reporting completeness, resources for child‑victim units and lab capacity as the KBI continues investigations and prosecutions.