The police behind Wakarusa’s crime figures
The closest Safety Grade belongs to Topeka: D−. Wakarusa has no police department of its own: it’s an unincorporated community (a census-designated place) in Shawnee County. The Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office reports to the FBI for the parts of the county without police of their own, so there are no figures for Wakarusa alone, and no Safety Grade. Widen the search to 25 miles and 3 graded towns turn up.
What stands out about safety in Wakarusa
Policed by the county
Wakarusa is a census-designated place, with no town government. Crimes there are reported to the FBI inside the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office’s totals for the county. County police ↓
Counts, not rates
The FBI doesn’t publish how many people the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office covers, so its totals can’t be turned into a per-resident rate or a grade for Wakarusa. County police ↓
The nearest graded towns
The closest Kansas towns with their own police figures are Topeka (D−, 10 mi), Osage City (D, 19 mi), Lawrence (C, 24 mi). Nearby towns can differ a lot from Wakarusa. Nearest ↓
Written from the FBI data on this page. Figures are crimes reported to police, not convictions.
What the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office reports
Reports to the FBI for the parts of Shawnee County without police of their own, which include Wakarusa.
Property crimes
Violent crimes
2025 offenses reported by the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office
Counts, not rates: the FBI doesn’t publish how many people each agency covers. FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, Tables 10–11.
Crimes reported to the FBI for the whole area the department covers, by year.
The nearest Kansas towns with a Safety Grade
| Town | Grade | Distance | Violent | Property |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Topeka | D− | 10 mi | 9.0 | 37.3 |
| Osage City | D | 19 mi | 2.6 | 45.7 |
| Lawrence | C | 24 mi | 3.5 | 16.1 |
| Baldwin City | B | 29 mi | 1.8 | 8.2 |
| Ottawa | C+ | 31 mi | 2.0 | 14.1 |
| Eudora | A | 32 mi | 0.9 | 3.4 |
Straight-line distance from the center of Wakarusa. Nearby towns can differ a lot from Wakarusa.
Each town’s own police figures, per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
One person died in crashes on Wakarusa’s roads in 2019–2023
Wakarusa had 1 fatal crash in five years, in which one person died.
That is about what is typical for Kansas towns of 2,500–5,000 people: at their median rate (6.2 deaths per 100,000 residents a year), a town of Wakarusa’s size would see about 0 in five years. With numbers this small, a death or two either way changes the picture, so Wakarusa’s own rate (95.7) is context, not a ranking.
Deaths are counted where the crash happened, not where the people lived: a highway through town adds through-traffic deaths, and residents’ own risk on roads elsewhere isn’t here. Town rates sit below state and U.S. rates because a third of fatal crashes happen outside any town. Road safety is described here and is not part of the Safety Grade. Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2019–2023.
Wakarusa and its neighbors
| Town | Grade | Violent | Property |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ridgeway Township | — | — | — |
| Williamsport Township | — | — | — |
Crimes reported to the FBI per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025. Ridgeway Township and Williamsport Township have no FBI figures of their own for 2023–2025.
How reported crime compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its safety page.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- It’s reported crime. Only incidents reported to and recorded by police appear here. Many crimes are never reported to police.
- A county agency covers a wide area. Its totals mix many communities, so they say little about any one of them.
- Gaps are real gaps. A missing year means the department didn’t report a full year, not that nothing happened.
How the grade is calculated, for every town: How TownRatings grades safety →
Questions about safety in Wakarusa
Is Wakarusa, KS safe?
There is no Safety Grade for Wakarusa. The nearest Kansas towns with a grade are Topeka (D−, 10 mi), Osage City (D, 19 mi), Lawrence (C, 24 mi).
Who polices Wakarusa?
The Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office. Wakarusa is an unincorporated community, and the department reports to the FBI for the parts of Shawnee County without police of their own.
Heads-up board
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Please don’t name or describe individuals. In an emergency, call 911.
Neighbors looking out for each other in Wakarusa.
Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: offenses known to law enforcement by city, and state and national rates. Counts are crimes reported to police, not convictions. The Safety Grade is our own summary of that data, not an official rating. Road deaths: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2019–2023. This isn’t an official statement of public safety. In an emergency, call 911.