On Thursday February 11, 2022, Parsons Police Departments Kansas Combined Anti-Drug Taskforce (K-CAT) Acting Commander Kyle Wiford was presented with the Officer of the Year award from the Veterans of Foreign War (VFW) Post 704.

VFW Post 704 selects an officer each year for this award and this year Kyle Wiford was given this distinguished honor.  Commander Wiford has been a member of the Parsons Police Department for over a decade. During this period, he has risen through the ranks starting his career in Dispatch then moving to Patrol Officer to now serving as the Acting Commander with responsibilities for the Investigations Division and Commander for K-CAT. Commander Wiford acts as the liaison for the Parsons Police Department to the Kanas Bureau of Investigations (KBI) as the K-CAT commander. Having been a part of all kinds of investigations from the mundane to the most heinous crimes gives Commander Wiford the expertise in training and educating new officers in investigation tactics.

Commander Wiford has assumed and volunteered for additional job responsibilities in his current capacity and has been a trainer and a mentor serving as a Field Training Officer (FTO) and more recently as a trainer assisting staff in honing their skills in developing search warrants. During Commander Wiford's time with the Parsons Police Department he has earned two lifesaving awards and earned a Distinguished Service Award for discovering a burglary in progress. Commander Wiford has also been given awards for making the most full-custody arrest for five consecutive years as a Patrol Officer and earned the Supervisor of the Year award in 2013.

Commander Wiford is a Labette Community College graduate and athlete. He was a member of the Phi-Theta-Kappa for honors in a junior college. Continuing his education, he achieved his bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice graduating Summa Cum Laude from Columbia Southern University in 2021.

Commander Wiford has served as an Incident Commander for major events, developed operational plans for narcotics raids as well as community events, and has continued to develop his expertise through on-going training. He also serves as a Defensive Tactics Instructor, training police officers to handle intense situations professionally and safely.

Parsons Police Chief Robert Spinks said, "Commander Wiford is a great asset to the agency and really stepped up into a leadership role early in his career. Good leadership is imperative for a police department to run and even more importantly is required to build trust in a community."

Commander Wiford said, "I am humbled to be honored by the veterans in our community. As a citizen and as a police officer I have always felt a deep sense of respect for those that have served in the military. That kind of sacrifice is evident in their actions. Law enforcement puts their life on the line for their community, the military does the same for the entire nation. Neither know if the day they report for work will be their last, but each day they put on that uniform and do what they are asked and what they must."

"We will continue to strive to develop officers like Commander Wiford for our community. Because that is what the community deserves" finished Spinks.

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