About the Chief
Chief Dawn Layman leads our department and has been employed in law enforcement since 1989. She was appointed Chief of Police in December 2020.
Chief Layman has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from West Chester University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Kansas. She has also completed 15 hours of coursework toward a Ph.D. in criminal justice. Layman is a graduate of the 59th session of the Police Executive Research Forum Senior Management Institute for Police, and a graduate of the 251st session of the FBI National Academy.
In 2015, Chief Layman was named the Motorola Woman Law Enforcement Executive of the Year by the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives.
She serves as Vice-Chair for the Survivors of Blue Suicide Foundation, a national organization whose mission is to foster hope by uniting survivors of law enforcement suicide to support one another and honor our fallen heroes. She is also member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Kansas Peace Officers Association, and previously served as President for the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives.