We’re scratching our heads over this one. Apparently, so is the local police department. In Wichita, Kansas, a local resident notified authorities after she located her car. Hazel Rogers’ Ford Explorer went missing at the beginning of May. She ended up locating the SUV about two miles away. Relieved, she called 911 to request help recovering it. She had the keys ready to go. Hours passed, though, with no sign of local authorities.

Frustrated, Rogers called police dispatch several times

Dispatch kept telling her that the officers were all busy with other calls. At one point, she told the dispatcher she’d lost patience. She would just go ahead and get into the SUV to take it home. 

They told her not to. A bit shockingly, they told her that if she did that, she’d technically be driving a vehicle that had been reported stolen. Therefore, she could get pulled over by the police and get “into trouble.”

Wait…what?

“If they got time to stop me and get me a ticket on the way home, they don’t have time to take five minutes and look for my ID?” KWCH shared her saying to the dispatcher.

After four hours, Rogers ended up getting into her Ford Explorer anyway

She drove the SUV home without issue…but she went to City Hall the next day.

When Rogers arrived at City Hall, she looked to cancel her stolen vehicle report and try to better understand why she was left for hours without assistance the day prior.

Instead, she was told to call the Wichita Police Department and speak to dispatch…again.

KWCH ended up speaking to WPD. The police department explained that stolen and found vehicle reports aren’t a priority compared to most other calls. During the time Rogers contacted the department, officers were responding to a fatal accident. Other authorities nearby, like Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office and the Kansas Highway Patrol, also consider stolen or found vehicle reports a low priority.

Still, the department said, “While we have made adjustments to our response protocols in recent months, this specific case is prompting additional operational changes to help prevent similar issues moving forward.” The rep also said that the department is reviewing the events at City Hall to help close any administrative “gaps” in their process.

More and more police departments are leaving callers like this to fend for themselves

While in this case, the police department cited higher priority calls, many other departments have resolved to not even pursue active stolen vehicles at all. These departments cite the risks of chasing thieves, including the increased likelihood of injury or death to the suspect, police officers, and innocent bystanders.

We’ve reported on other victims deciding to handle the recovery of their stolen cars. In one case, a guy found his stolen vehicle listed for sale on Facebook Marketplace. Since the police weren’t helping, he acted like an interested buyer and went to “check out” the car. Once inside for a “test drive,” he locked the doors and drove the vehicle home.

Depending on where you live, police departments seem to be responding more organically to these situations. For instance, if an officer is on their regular beat and comes across a stolen car in traffic, they might initiate a stop. But call them to report a stolen car, lost or found, and you might not even get a response.