Police Chief Gordon Ramsay leaving department

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - Wichita Police Chief Gordon Ramsay, who has held that role since 2016 and been a police officer since 1993, is leaving the department, citing family reasons. His last day on the job is March 1, 2022.

Ramsay has not revealed future professional plans. He announced his resignation in a letter to City Manager Robert Layton.

“The last couple years of policing has (sic) been the most challenging in our profession’s history and I am proud of how our staff members have handled themselves through these tumultuous times.” The letter said.

In an interview with KWCH, Ramsay said he is leaving the department to spend more time with his wife and two children and to see his parents more often. Ramsay’s father is 90 and battling cancer.

Ramsay told KWCH he will work closely with the City of Wichita to find his replacement.

“This job is very demanding,” Ramsay said in an interview with KWCH. “You’re on all the time. I love my job, I love coming to work every day -- but my family suffers. So I have to put them first.”

The City of Wichita website said the Wichita Police Department has experienced a decrease in part one crimes -- mostly violent crimes -- with Ramsay at the helm. He’s helped develop Operation Save a Casing, the first Crime Gun Intelligence Center in Kansas, and Wichita’s first Citizen Review Board, in 2018.

After working his way up within his hometown Duluth, Minn. Police Department beginning in 1996, Ramsay was Police Chief there from 2006 until the end of 2015. He was appointed WPD Chief in January 2016. This summer, Ramsay was a finalist for Police Chief In Austin, Texas, but in August he announced he was no longer in the running.

In taking the job in Wichita, Ramsay said he’d seen a rift between the police and persons of color and that he wanted to address community relations and transparency within the department.

“First of all, we’ve accomplished a lot at the department,” Ramsay said. “We’ve done a lot of collaborating with the community. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished. So, for me – I’ve seen my kids grow up in the last six years. They’ve changed so much and there’s many things that I’ve missed. The opportunity to spend time with them now is waning, so I need to make that a priority.”

Stay tuned to KWCH Friday at 4, 5 and 6 p.m. for more from our conversation with Chief Ramsay.

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