Kansas Highway Patrol outlines staffing, hangars, grappler tech and radio concerns
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Summary
Col. Eric Smith updated the Joint Committee on Kansas Security on KHP structure, new hangars and aviation plans, grappler pursuit technology, a statewide dispatch project and concerns about the K6 radio system’s 2031 lifecycle and estimated replacement costs.
Colonel Eric Smith, superintendent of the Kansas Highway Patrol, briefed the Joint Committee on Kansas Security on Oct. 24 about agency structure, recent projects and near‑term technology and facilities priorities.
Smith described the patrol’s statutory duties (traffic and vehicle enforcement, commercial motor‑vehicle oversight, Kansas Turnpike policing, VIN inspections, Capitol complex security, grant administration and ignition‑interlock oversight). He summarized KHP’s bureau structure and said the agency completed a personnel allocation assessment to better align positions statewide.
Nut graf — why the update matters: the Highway Patrol provides statewide law‑enforcement services and specialty capabilities to local partners; the patrol’s decisions about aviation, communications and specialized equipment have operational and budget implications for other public safety agencies.
Facilities and aviation: Smith said the patrol cut the ribbon on a Hays hangar and is advancing a Wichita hangar project at Jabara Field with Sedgwick County as a potential partner; the agency also received a legislative appropriation to build a new central dispatch facility in Salina and is in design for that project.
New tactics and equipment: Smith described recent technology and equipment additions: field testing and deployment of grappler technology (an arm and net system to end vehicle pursuits), full deployment of body‑worn cameras for sworn personnel (funded by a federal grant plus state funding), and a VIN inspection digitization pilot for designees across the state.
Operations and support roles: Smith reviewed KHP response and support capabilities — a statewide high‑risk warrant team, crime‑scene response teams, canine programs, air support with mission‑equipped aircraft, a 100‑person mobile field force for crowd control and an emergency‑operations/homeland‑security section. He also described an agency wellness program and a newly reclassified Capitol Police force now designated as troopers to improve hiring and training.
Communications and an upcoming funding issue: Smith told the committee the statewide 800‑MHz radio network (K6) is used by more than 1,600 public entities and is jointly managed (adjutant general statutory responsibility; KDOT maintains much infrastructure). He said K6’s Motorola contract and end‑of‑life planning will require major investment and cited preliminary figures that replacement over the next four years could approach nine‑figures; Smith asked committee members to be aware of the 2031 end‑of‑service timeline.
Ending: Smith offered to work with the committee and local partners on facility siting, dispatch consolidation and radio‑system planning.
