Captain Jeff Easter
Colwich
Republican

1. Age: 43. Bachelor of Science in Organizational Management and Leadership from Friends University
Occupation: Law Enforcement Officer, Captain for the Wichita Police Department. Married to Kimberlee, four children. Father: Major Rick Easter, retired, Wichita Police Dept. Brother: Deputy Kevin Easter, Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Dept. Community history: North YMCA Board. Associated with Big Brothers and Big Sisters. Initiated and supervises Plainview Activity Camp for Kids. Atwater Camp for Kids. Evergreen Camp for Kids. McAdams Camp For Kids.

2. I have 23 years with the Wichita Police Department. Honored for ground breaking work with Community Policing. Authored the Street Crime Prevention Act of 2006. Lead the WPD Gang unit, convicting 40 Crips gang members. Part of a management team overseeing $47 million dollar budget and 524 officers.

3. Jail management is one of the most problematic issues facing the department today. A complete change in the handling of processes is in great need in order to address criminal investigations as well as jail overcrowding
I believe that building cooperative relationships with all law enforcement agencies and with communities creates a safer, less crime ridden Sedgwick County. Additionally, combining some services and departments is an effective tool to save tax payer dollars and eliminate unnecessary redundancies.

Bob Hinshaw
Wichita
Republican, Incumbent

1. Age 54. Bachelor’s degree in administration of justice from WSU., 1987; master’s degree in Study of Business Law from Friends University, 2005. Graduate, FBI National Academy, 191st Session, Quantico, Va. Graduate, Secret Service Dignitary Protection Seminar, Session 205-10, Washington D.C. Graduate, FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar, Session 68, Quantico, Va.
Currently serving as Sedgwick County Sheriff. I have been married to Jan Hinshaw, DVM, for 26 years. My parents (Bill and Doris) came from a farming community in northeastern Kansas. They moved to Wichita after World War II, where my father served as a flight engineer on a B-24 bomber in the European Theater. My mother is Doris Hinshaw, who lives in Wichita, and my father is deceased. I have one sister who lives in Tulsa. I have a large extended family.
I was born and raised in Wichita, except for about seven years when we lived in Mulvane when I was growing up. I attended Wichita public schools and was heavily involved in scouting, obtaining the rank of Eagle Scout. I began my career of public service in my late teens, working for Emergency Communications as a S.P.I.D.E.R. operator and later, a 911 dispatcher before being hired by the Sedgwick County Sheriff in 1979. My wife is a practicing veterinarian and business owner in Wichita. My wife and I are involved with several charitable organizations, including Big Brothers Big Sisters of Sedgwick County, Envision Foundation, the local Boy Scouts and the Sedgwick County Animal Response Team (SCART).

2. S.P.I.D.E.R. and 911 dispatcher from approximately 1977 to 1979.
Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office from 1979 to present; approximately 33 years. Have been promoted through the ranks of the civil service system by three different sheriffs. Have worked in or supervised every area within the sheriff’s office. Appointed Undersheriff in 2006. Elected as 39th Sheriff starting in 2009.
Board Member, Sedgwick County Advisory Board for Big Brothers/Big Sisters; Board Member, Quivira Council, local Boy Scouts; Board Member, Envision Foundation. Instruct at law enforcement training academy, both local and state. Adjunct Professor at W.S.U., teaching classes in criminal justice program. Appointed as the chairman of the Sedgwick County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council in 2009 by the Sedgwick County Board of Commissioners. Board Member, Forensic Center Advisory Board. Past Board Member, Wichita Area Sexual Assault Center. First Vice-President, Kansas Sheriff’s Association. Professional memberships include the FBI National Academy Associates, Kansas Sheriff’s Association, Kansas Peace Officers Association, FBI LEEDS Association, Kansas Public Information Officers Association. Received specialized training through the American Jail Association in legal and medical issues impacting jails.

3. The budget. Having already cut some $1.8 million out of the current 2012 budget without any significant loss of public safety and security for the community, any future cuts will cross that line. In 2012, there were 17 positions frozen or eliminated, including the elimination of one entire law enforcement division, resulting in restructuring of other areas within the Sheriff’s Office. Absent sufficient funding, additional reductions in personnel will be needed, impacting all services mandated by state law. This would include not just law enforcement and the jail; but protecting the courts of the 18th Judicial District, delivery of civil process papers, monitoring registered offenders and extraditions being the most noticeable.
The jail. The jail is but one component of our criminal justice system. As such it takes all the stakeholders and policy makers in the criminal justice system at all levels to work together. This is not a “sheriff” issue or a “county” issue – it is a community issue. The Sheriff does not decide who comes into the jail or how long they stay, that is a function of the courts. By law, the Sheriff must accept anyone who is presented for booking. That is where the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) comes in. Membership includes Wichita City Council, County Commission, Sheriff, Wichita Police Chief, District Attorney, Public Defender, Wichita Municipal Judge, Chief Administrative Judge of 18th Judicial District, Presiding Criminal Judge of 18th Judicial District, Community Corrections and several others. Citizens interested in criminal justice issues also attend and provide input. Recommendations from the CJCC to the county commissioners have resulted in providing many evidence based, successful alternatives to the jail. The CJCC, which I chair, continues to work together to address this community issue. Inmate population has been reduced from a high of over 1,700 in 2009 down to 1,450-1,500 today. There are over 7,000 people in alternatives to incarceration right now as a result of the work of the CJCC.