Wichita police chief loses bet, publicly celebrates ‘Chiefs Kingdom’ win

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - While the Kansas City Chiefs have a majority when it comes to professional football fandom in Kansas, they don’t have a monopoly of support in the Sunflower State. Wichita Police Chief Joe Sullivan is among those whose allegiance doesn’t lie with the closest team. Having worked with the Philadelphia Police Department for 25 years prior to coming to Wichita, Sullivan is a Philadelphia Eagles fan. With Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter supporting the Chiefs, the stage was set for a friendly wager between local law enforcement leaders.

The Chiefs prevailed in a 38-35 thriller, overcoming a 10-point halftime deficit. As part of his bet with Sheriff Easter, Chief Sullivan spent 15 minutes Monday, wearing a Chiefs hat and standing at the corner of Central and Main, holding up a sign that read, “Chiefs Kingdom.”

It was a bet Sullivan had confidence he would win, especially when the Eagles had a 10-point halftime lead.

“You know, I called and I was wondering if could have one of the K9s dropped off to my apartment, just to help me through the moment. It was difficult but, in all seriousness, it was a great game,” Sullivan said. “But Patrick (Mahomes) and the Chiefs pulled it out. It was amazing.”

Easter admitted to being nervous when the Chiefs were behind early.

“I was a little worried in the first half, it was not good,” he said. “But I just wanted a good game and it ended up being a good game and we ended up winning. So, yeah, I was happy I wasn’t going to have to fly the Eagles’ sign or wear the Eagles headdress or any of that other stuff.”

Sullivan and Easter said the competition created a bond between the WPD and the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office.

“This has been a lot of fun, and this is what you see between these two great law enforcement agencies, nothing but cooperation and a lot of brotherhood and sisterhood, all in the interest of public safety,” Sullivan said.

Copyright 2023 KWCH. All rights reserved. To report a correction or typo, please email news@kwch.com