'It has been a great ride.' Topeka police chief Bryan Wheeles, 52, plans to retire July 1
Topeka police chief Bryan Wheeles is retiring effective July 1, Topeka's city government announced Tuesday in a news release.
Wheeles, 52, was named in November 2021 as chief after assuming that job on an interim basis the previous January to replace outgoing chief Bill Cochran.
"It has been a great ride, in a great community, and I’m looking forward to spending more time with my family and seeing what life brings me out of the uniform," Wheeles said in Tuesday's release.
'He will be deeply missed'
The city wants to acknowledge Wheeles’ leadership, celebrate his three-decades-long career and wish him a well-deserved and fulfilling retirement, interim city manager Richard U. Nienstedt said in Tuesday's release.
"We extend our deepest gratitude to Chief Wheeles for his unwavering dedication and years of service to not only his fellow officers, but the city as a whole,” Nienstedt said.
Wheeles has led Topeka police in a time of challenges that included the city's seeing 35 homicides last year, the most it's recorded in calendar year. Three female police supervisors sued the city last year, alleging they weren't promoted because of their gender. That case remains pending.
Nienstedt said of Wheeles: "His calm, pragmatic, reliable presence in times of crisis is felt far beyond the police department. He is the first to offer help wherever he is needed and he will be deeply missed.”
The city in coming weeks will share details about the process it will use to search for its next police chief, said Tuesday's release.
Wheeles has held various positions with Topeka police
Wheeles said he felt proud to have devoted 30 years of police service within one community.
“There are a lot of amazing people working at TPD and it has been an honor, beyond my abilityto truly express, to serve beside them all these years," he said. "I loved my job and got to make a difference. When you come to the end of a career and look back, it’s hard to ask for more than that."
Wheeles, a native of southwest Missouri, graduated in 1994 with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Central Missouri State University at Warrensburg, Missouri. He became a Topeka police officer in June 1994.
Wheeles has worked for the department as a patrol officer, a narcotics investigator, a homicide detective, a sergeant in the criminal intelligence unit, a lieutenant supervising the homicide/special victims unit and as captain/executive officer.
He was appointed as deputy chief of police in 2017 by Cochran.
Choice of Wheeles as chief was questioned by some
Then-Topeka City Manager Brent Trout's 2021 choice of Wheeles as chief over three other finalists, one from the Topeka Police Department and two from outside, was questioned by a grassroots group formed in late 2021 called the Topeka Alliance for Good Government.
The group said in a news release that it was seeking to "provide a voice for Topeka residents" in the process the city uses to choose its police chief.
Contact Tim Hrenchir at threnchir@gannett.com or 785-213-5934.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: July 1 retirement planned for Topeka police chief Bryan Wheeles
