Kansas Highway Patrol outlines reorganization, staffing gaps and proposed traffic law changes

Merle Riedel, Executive Officer for the Kansas Highway Patrol, told the Committee on Transportation on Jan. 13 that the Highway Patrol recently reorganized to consolidate protective services, investigative operations and technical operations under executive commanders and to move administrative services under a civilian deputy secretary for business operations.

Riedel said the reorganization grouped Capitol Police, executive protection and homeland‑security grant administration into a new Protective Services Bureau and created an Investigative Operations Bureau to centralize VIN inspections, criminal interdiction and a new Troop O felony investigations unit. He said Troop N focuses on interdiction to disrupt drug, human‑trafficking and violent‑crime activity on state roadways.

Riedel told the committee the Patrol employed 781 people as of Jan. 13, 2025, including 466 sworn officers, and that the agency is short about 67 sworn positions versus a funded target of 533. He described hiring and academy efforts, noting the academy is a 23‑week course for new troopers and that condensed 13‑week classes are offered for certified officers from other agencies.

Colonel Eric Smith confirmed KHP provides a range of services to local law enforcement — air support, crash reconstruction, canine units, hostage rescue capabilities — and that the Patrol operates the only state aircraft unit in Kansas.

On public‑safety topics, the Patrol said it will propose clarifying the statutory definition of reckless driving to specify that driving at 100 mph or more, or 35 mph over the posted speed, constitutes reckless driving; Riedel said the proposal would not change penalties but would clarify the threshold. The Patrol also plans to propose a manufacturer fee to offset administration costs for ignition interlock devices.

On drug enforcement, Colonel Smith said seizures and interdiction trends “ebb and they flow,” and that a single traffic stop can produce a large seizure of fentanyl that may not be visible in other agency snapshots.

During questions, Representative Proctor asked whether troopers carry naloxone; Colonel Smith answered, “They are carrying it and they are trained to administer to both themselves, a colleague or a citizen in need.” Riedel said daily monitoring and outside support are used to guard agency IT systems and customer‑facing data, and he offered to provide the committee additional staffing and retention details on request.

The Patrol supplied statistics for FY2024: Troop V conducted about 161,000 VIN inspections and recovered 205 stolen vehicles; the Critical Highway Accident Response Team investigated 199 fatal crashes including 48 involving commercial motor vehicles. Riedel said the Patrol is responsible for administering federal homeland‑security grant funds used to support local preparedness and coordinates a mobile field force drawn from troopers across the state.

Ending — Next steps: KHP said it will pursue the proposed statutory clarifications for reckless driving and the ignition‑interlock manufacturer fee in the coming session and will continue recruiting and academy classes to reduce vacancies.