Monday, March 15, 2010

After almost 53 years of involvement with the local criminal justice system, the Wichita Crime Commission’s Executive Director Bobby Stout will be retiring, effective June 30, 2010.

Bobby came to Kansas from Russellville, Alabama in 1953 and was stationed at the Naval Base in Hutchinson. After completing his obligation to the military he became a student at the then University of Wichita. One year later he was sworn in as a Wichita Police Officer, a position he held for twenty-three years, retiring as Deputy Police Chief to accept his current position.

He earned a Bachelor’s and Masters Degree in Administration of Justice from Wichita State University. He is also a graduate of the FBI’s National Academy, 100th session.

Since joining the Wichita Crime Commission in 1980 he has worked closely with law enforcement agencies developing advanced and specialty training programs for police officers. Under his direction, the Crime Commission and their Criminal Justice partners are conducting the 16th annual Midwest Law Enforcement Conference on Gangs and Drugs in June. This annual conference has, to date, provided training for more than 2500 law enforcement officer’s state wide. He has also been very actively involved in helping to develop and publicize the Crime Commission’s ‘Make Good Choices Program’ designed to encourage young people to consider the consequences of their decisions. He has concentrated his efforts on helping resurrect the very successful Youth Court program in Wichita’s public high schools.

Bobby takes great pride in being one of the people involved in the organization of the very successful Wichita/Sedgwick county Crime Stoppers Program thirty years ago. He is a charter member of the program’s Board of Directors and the organization’s designated spokesperson. For more than 10 years he was the guy in the “Colombo” trench coat who showed up in your living room, via TV, every Sunday night asking for help in solving the Crime Stopper’s Crime of the Week. For his work in this area he was named “Kansas Crime Stopper of the year in 1993” by the Kansas Crime Stoppers association.

Always very visible in the community, Bobby’s name recognition escalated when in the early 1970’s, while serving as commander of the Police Department’s vice squad, he was the subject of what became a very popular rock tune, “Captain Bobby Stout”, recorded by the Jerry Hahn Brotherhood featuring keyboard artist Mike Finnegan.

He is a longtime member of the Sheriff’s Civil Service Board, Downtown Rotary Club, Kansas Peace Officers Assoc., Kansas Sheriff’s Association, Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police, past president of the National Association of Crime Commissions and the Masonic order.

Bobby and his wife Jerry celebrated their 43rd anniversary in December 2009. They have one son, Bill, and two grandsons Michael, 15 and Christian 11.

The Wichita Crime Commission is a group of community leaders whose mission is promoting, fostering and encouraging greater interest by the public in the prevention of crime and the enforcement of criminal laws.