We are honored to continue hosting out of town guests with Kansas DPS Superintendent, Erik Smith. Erik Smith’s journey into public service began in 1991 behind the headset of a dispatcher in south-central Kansas, where every call for help reinforced the weight of responsibility and the value of calm under pressure.In 1993, he stepped into the streets as a deputy with the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office, building a reputation through years of service in patrol, investigations, a DEA Task Force, and ultimately in supervisory leadership.In 2002, he earned the badge of a DEA Special Agent, embarking on a career that spanned Minneapolis, Wichita, Kansas City, Washington, D.C., Houston—where he served alongside Dallas Police Chief Daniel Comeaux—and finally DEA Headquarters.Rising to the agency’s highest levels of leadership, he retired in 2023 as Assistant Administrator and Chief Inspector, closing one remarkable chapter only to begin another.That same year, the Governor of Kansas appointed him to her Cabinet as Superintendent of the Kansas Highway Patrol, entrusting him with leading one of the state’s premier law enforcement agencies. His career is a testament to a simple truth: leadership is not defined by the position one holds, but by the lives one influences and the legacy one leaves behind.Critical incidents discussed: May 12, 1991 – Deputy Chris WillemsJanuary 8, 1996 – Deputy Kevin EasterApril 18, 1997 – Sergeant Ken SniderNovember 4, 2000 – Sergeant Jack GalvanSeptember 28, 2009 – Deputy Brian EtheridgeCreating the LODD/FA team in 2025 that ended up working 4 LODD in Kansas in 2025