The Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office is a full-service law enforcement agency comprising the Administrative Office and three Divisions. It is responsible for transporting prisoners to appear before a judge or stand trial for crimes committed against the state or fellow man.
The Administrative Office provides general administrative support to the Sheriff’s Office including recruiting and hiring, background investigations, payroll, purchasing, internal investigations, automation, and budget related functions.
It also provides technical support for Sheriff’s summons, domestic violence, and warrant components and various day-to-day administrative operations.
Sheriff Daniel Soptic
On December 23, 2021, Sheriff Daniel Soptic was sworn in as the Sheriff of Wyandotte County after a successful election.
Sheriff Soptic began his law enforcement career with the Unified Government of Wyandotte County, Kansas City Kansas Park Rangers in April 2004. He attended the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center and graduated with the 178th basic training class in 2005. Sheriff Soptic was promoted to Captain with the Park Rangers in 2007 and served as the night shift commander for most of his time in that position. In September of 2009, the Park Rangers merged with the Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office, and Sheriff Soptic was transferred to investigations and assigned to Lieutenant of Investigations.
In 2013, Sheriff Soptic was promoted to the rank of Captain and assigned to the Operations Division, where he commanded both Patrol and Court transport. In December of 2016 he was promoted to the rank of Major and was assigned to the Community and Support Services Division where he oversaw the Records Division, Training Division, Taskforce Officers, Juvenile Intake and Assessment and Reserve Program. In 2020 he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and was appointed the Warden over the Adult Detention Center.
In 2017 he graduated from Ottawa University with his Bachelor’s Degree in Law Enforcement, and he is also a Certified Public Manager. In 2018 he was accepted, attended, and graduated from the FBI National Academy and is a proud graduate of the 271st Session.
Sheriff Soptic is a Turner High School graduate, as well as a 2019 graduate from Kansas University with his Master’s Degree in Business Administration and Organizational Leadership.
During his time as a law enforcement officer, Daniel Soptic served as a day shift commander, night shift commander, Kansas boating instructor, Property and Evidence custodian, and Assistant Commander of the Sheriff's Emergency Response Team and is certified in many specialized training subjects. Sheriff Soptic has been involved in many large projects, including sourcing and launching the Sheriff’s Office Body Camera Program in 2014 and the redesign of the Courthouse Security Unit.
Personal
Sheriff Soptic has been married to his wife, Carla, since 2003, and they have one daughter. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family at the lake and giving back to the community he grew up in through various boards and groups. Sheriff Soptic is particularly proud to be a board member of the Turner School District.
Undersheriff Emmett Lockridge
Undersheriff Emmett Lockridge has been with the Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office since 2016 as the Records Unit Administrative Coordinator. In January 2022, Emmett assumed the role of Support Manager, with the responsibilities of Public Information Officer, Recruiter, Records Unit Manager, and the newly formed Community Engagement Unit. On Thursday, June 16th, 2022, he was formally appointed as Undersheriff of Wyandotte County Sheriff's Office.
Prior to the Sheriff’s Office, Undersheriff Lockridge served 23 years at the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department (KCKPD). Undersheriff Lockridge retired as a decorated Senior Sergeant. His last assignment with KCKPD was as the supervisor of the Chief’s Office Professional Standards Unit, which encompassed Accreditation, Policy Review, PIO, and Community Liaison.
Undersheriff Lockridge has spent his adult life serving our Country (6 years. U.S. Marine Corps, 2 years. Kansas National Guard); and City, 29 years. in Law Enforcement (KCKPD, WYCO Sheriff). He has proven to be committed to the safety of our Country and Community.
Personal
Undersheriff Lockridge is married to his wife Sherri and is the proud dad to four adult sons. With prayer and support from family & friends, he has overcome and thrived against insurmountable challenges. Undersheriff Lockridge is a true fighter!
Warden David Thaxton
With over 21 years of dedicated service, Warden Thaxton has held numerous key positions within the Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office including Detention Deputy, SERT Deputy, Honor Guard Team Leader, Detention Sergeant, Operations Sergeant, Classification Sergeant, Training Sergeant, Shift Captain, Planning and Research/PIO Captain, Investigations Captain, Operations Support Major, Sheriff Reserve Commander, Detention Security and Personnel Major, and finally, Warden in 2022.
Warden Thaxton also served in the Kansas Army National Guard as an Infantryman from 1997 to 2009, with deployments to Ukraine (1998), Germany (2001), and Iraq (2005). He achieved the rank of Staff Sergeant, completing 12 years of service.
In addition to his military and professional achievements, Warden Thaxton holds a CDL Class A with airbrakes (1998), welding certificates from KCK Technical School (1999), and Journeyman Status through Local 1290 after graduating from the Greater Kansas City Laborers Training Center (2000). Educationally, he attended Schlagle and Wyandotte High Schools, received an Associate of Police Science from KCKCC (2014), a Bachelor of Psychology from Ottawa University (2017), and a Master’s in Organizational Psychology (2020).
Personal
Outside of his professional life, Warden Thaxton is an avid motorcycle enthusiast, owning a Custom Harley Road King, Honda Valkyrie, and a 1979 Kawasaki KZ 400 Café Racer. He is married with four children and two dogs.
Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Carver
Andrew began his career with the Sheriff’s Office in 2004 and throughout his career he has worked in numerous positions, including Detention and Operations, within the Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office. In 2013, Andrew was promoted to the rank of Detective. His duties involved the investigation of Internal Affairs complaints and Criminal Investigations ranging in severity from the lowest misdemeanor crimes to Violent Felony crimes. Andrew was also a Major Case Investigator with the Kansas City Metropolitan Metro Squad. As a Detective, Andrew received extensive training in Death and Homicide Investigations, Sexual Assault Investigations, Internal Affairs Investigations, Interviewing and Interrogation, and was Certified in Voice Stress Analysis. In 2015, Andrew received the Sugar Creek Optimist Club’s Officer of the Year Award for his work in recovering numerous missing children. In December 2016, Andrew was promoted to the rank of Captain and assigned to the Investigations Unit. In December 2019, he was promoted to the rank of Major and assigned as the Division Commander for the Operations Division. His responsibilities included supervision of the Investigations Unit, Patrol, and Judicial Services. In December 2021, He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel by Sheriff Soptic and assigned as the Field Bureau Commander of the Sheriff’s Office.
Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Carver is a lifelong resident of Wyandotte County where he attended and graduated from Sumner Academy of Arts and Sciences. Andrew received his bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of St. Mary. In 2018, Andrew graduated from Kansas University with his Master of Science in Business and Organizational Leadership. In November 2018, Andrew also graduated from the Kansas Law Enforcement Command School and completed the Certified Public Manager program requirements.
Adult Detention Center
The Adult Detention Center seeks to provide a safe, secure, and humane environment for correctional staff, deputies, visitors, and persons lawfully incarcerated by the criminal justice system. Staff is also responsible for prisoner transportation, extradition, and court security. Call (913) 573-2865 for more information.
Responsibilities
- Maintain a climate cognizant of detainee welfare in the facility, including social, emotional, and physical needs.
- Maintain standards with the operation mandates advocated by Federal, State, and local existing laws and correctional standards.
- Provide consistent and fair treatment of staff and detainees.
- Ensure that personnel are prepared and capable of taking responsible action during emergencies.
- Provide a systematic and operational approach for managing staff and detainees without violating individual rights or breaching the facility's security.
Inmate Programs Offered
- Chaplain services
- Bible study (offered in English and Spanish)
- KA Lite (Khan Academy) educational classes
- Edovo educational app
- NAMI
- AA
- Little Brothers and Sisters of the Lamb
Juvenile Detention Center
By the Juvenile Code of the State of Kansas, Wyandotte County operates a functional detention center 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to provide a temporary secure facility for youth who are under the jurisdiction of the Court and whose alleged behavior or circumstances constitute a danger to themselves or the community. They are detained pending action of the Court.
Our Mission
- Provide short-term care and secure custody to juveniles who are accused of or adjudicated pending court action or awaiting transfer to another facility.
- Provide for the juveniles’ basic needs, such as shelter, food, clothing, medical care, and basic hygiene.
- Prevent the abridgment of the juveniles’ legal rights during their detainment at the Detention Center.
- House assigned juveniles in a safe, human environment, maintaining the level of security necessary to prevent escape and assure that the juveniles are free of fear from assault or intimidation by staff or other juveniles.
Juvenile detention may provide a child in trouble with the first realization that there are serious consequences to his or her behavior. The Juvenile Detention Center may, by law, assume temporary custody of a child during a crisis in his or her life. Decisions to place a child in detention are made by either a law enforcement officer or the court for the purpose of protecting society, protecting the child, or both.
This brief experience with detention staff may determine a child’s future attitudes toward society and authority. In short, the detention process can affect a juvenile’s propensity for crime. Obviously, there are tremendous benefits to be gained by making the detention experience positive.
During the period of detention, the detention staff, and the court services officer (CSO), working together, assist and support your child in adapting to the detention experience. Youth are encouraged to exercise self-control and accept responsibility for their actions while at the Juvenile Detention Center.
Detention is not considered a punishment by some youths detained at the center. It temporarily restricts a youth’s movements and independent decision-making. If your child feels that this restriction is a punishment, then it is, as far as he or she is concerned. It is not punishment if he or she accepts detention to relieve the pressures of family, school, and community living.
Juvenile detention is not solely the problem of the police and the Juvenile Court. As a parent, it is also your problem. The purpose of the detention staff and the CSO is to help you and your child rather than to assume your responsibilities. Your cooperation is essential.
Juvenile Detention Center staff are trained professionals employed for the safety and security of your child. All procedures are designed in the best interest of the child.
Contact Information
Terri Broadus, Administrator
(913) 573-2900
[email protected]
Volunteer Information
Make a difference in someone's life! Volunteer at our Detention Center. Call (913) 573-2830 for more information.
The Operations Division serves the citizens of Wyandotte County by providing law enforcement, civil process, and inmate transport services. The division is composed of the following:
Civil Process
This unit enforces orders issued by the various courts by serving process, executing judgments, and making returns on the orders.
Court Transport
This unit transports inmates to and from court hearings, maintains courtroom security and accepts custody of individuals on order of the court.
Criminal Warrants
This unit locates and arrests individuals on criminal and civil warrants and transports them to the detention facility for processing.
Delinquent Taxes
This unit collects taxes due by contacting the defendants, serving orders of the court and collecting the monies owed and delivering it to the county treasurer.
Evictions
This unit restores real property to the possession of the owner by service of, and enforcement of orders issued by the courts.
Facility Transport-Adult
This unit transports inmates from local and state facilities to Wyandotte County, and transports sentenced inmates from Wyandotte County to state correctional facilities.
Investigations
This unit provides the Sheriff’s Office with thorough, consistent and fair investigations on internal and external matters originating in the Adult and Juvenile Detention Centers, as well as those investigations originating from the Field Services Division.
Park Law Enforcement
This unit is within the patrol function and is responsible for enforcing state laws and local ordinances within the Wyandotte County Park system.
Probate Services
This unit is assigned one deputy that serves the Probate Court by transporting individuals whom the court has reason to believe are at risk to themselves and/or others. The patients are located and transported to medical facilities throughout the state and brought to the court on order of the court.
Tag Enforcement
This unit is assigned two deputies and enforces the regulations governing vehicle registration by answering citizen complaints, making random road checks, and scheduled tag enforcement checkpoints for proper licensing, registration, and financial security requirements. The enforcement of these laws helps to ensure payment of personal property tax.
The Sheriff’s Office manages the incarceration of adult and juvenile offenders in the local county detention centers and provide for their safety therein. Therefore, in the event of offender unrest/criminal activity occurring within the detention facilities, the Sheriff’s Office has historically maintained a specialized unit of officers trained to provide strategic intervention. This specialized unit of officers is in the process of evolving into the Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team.
Specifically, the Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team (SERT) is designed to provide specialized public safety services to local courts, corrections and law enforcement agencies, as well as to the community at large.
Primary Objectives
- Provide specialized law enforcement intervention specific to the pursuit and capture of those criminals involved in drug and/or terrorist activities.
- Provide tactical support to local law enforcement agencies.
- Pursue and apprehend high risk/violent offenders on warrant status.
- Respond to citizens' concerns regarding suspected criminal activity in a pro-active and time sensitive manner.
- Provide tactical intervention to quell unrest/criminal activity within the local detention centers.
The most recently recognized and greatest threat to our citizens comes from organized terrorist activities. This most recent threat, along with the criminal activities that continue to be associated with the drug trade, require us to be vigilant in our pursuit of those who would do our citizens most harm and maintain a level of preparedness adequate to intervene as required. The SERT team will provide the kind of highly trained, specialized law enforcement response necessary to for us to best serve our community.
In addition, as we have historically maintained a tactical team in a state of preparedness to primarily manage unrest within the detention centers, the development of the SERT will allow this specialized training to be utilized not only within the confines of the detention centers but will allow for expansion of services to the citizens of the county and the law enforcement community. The investment into the ongoing specialized training, equipment needs, personnel, etc. of the SERT will now reap a much larger return as our mission and objectives have expanded in response to the needs of the community.
Wyandotte County currently has over 500 outstanding criminal felony warrants. The SERT team will have the training and resources necessary to pursue and apprehend those felons deemed to be “high risk” offenders, reducing public safety risk to the community. In addition, community members may report suspected criminal activity to the Office of the Sheriff. The SERT may be utilized to investigate if, in fact, the alleged crimes are being committed and develop a tactical plan to intervene upon those activities in a proactive and time sensitive manner.
Currently, two of the three cities located with the boundaries of the county, Bonner Springs and Edwardsville, do not have specialized tactical units available via their respective local police departments. The SERT may be utilized by those cities to “fill in the gap” of resources available to those local police departments in the event they have need of a tactical unit.