Riley County police director to step down at end of 2026
Brian Peete plans departure after leading department through staffing and modernization initiatives
MANHATTAN, Kan. — Riley County Police Department Director Brian Peete is expected to step down Dec. 31, 2026, bringing his tenure leading the agency to a close. Peete, who became the department's sixth director Dec. 30, 2022, is negotiating a contract amendment with the Riley County Law Enforcement Agency Board — a panel of appointed citizens and local elected officials that includes board chair and Riley County Commissioner Kathryn Focke — to formalize his departure date. Hired after a national search, Peete previously served as a police chief in Vermont and New Mexico before guiding the department through major modernization efforts. Those efforts included assuming countywide animal control responsibilities and securing a grant for a multi-agency communication platform, along with $30,000 for de-escalation, officer safety and regional sex trafficking investigations training.
During his tenure, Peete prioritized public engagement and fiscal responsibility, identifying more than $1.8 million in internal budget reallocations for fiscal years 2025 through 2027. He restored staffing stability, bringing department-wide levels above 85% and fully staffing the corrections division within six months. Under his leadership, the agency established a Real-Time Intelligence Crime Center that has produced more than 150 positive case outcomes and achieved CALEA accreditation for its communications center. Peete also launched a Community Outreach Division that reached an estimated 21,000 residents through 83 engagements in 2025 and created a reintegration coordinator position aimed at reducing recidivism.
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