TOPEKA – Kirk Thompson, director of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), the premier statewide criminal investigative agency, has announced his upcoming retirement, effective January 10, 2023.
Kirk Thompson served as director of KBI for over 11 years. His distinguished service in law enforcement spanned over 46 years.
Thompson first joined law enforcement in 1976, at age 19, as a deputy sheriff in the Barton County Sheriff’s Office. In this role, he served the central Kansas community of Great Bend where he grew up. He then moved to Topeka in 1979, after joining the KBI as a special agent.
Thompson is a graduate of Washburn University, the FBI National Academy, the Kansas Certified Public Manager program, and has completed numerous other law enforcement leadership programs.
During his career at KBI, Thompson held several supervisory positions, rising through the ranks to assistant manager and associate manager. Then, in July 2011, Attorney General Derek Schmidt appointed Thompson as 12e Director of KBI.
Thompson spent more than a decade holding the KBI’s top job. During his tenure, he strengthened each division of the Office. In 2012, in partnership with the FBI, the nation’s first regional computer forensic satellite lab was established at KBI headquarters to perform rapid analysis of digital forensic evidence. Then, in 2015, the Bureau opened its Forensic Science Center, a new state-of-the-art laboratory located on the campus of Washburn University. Also during his tenure as Director, Thompson expanded KBI’s Child Victims Unit, to include the 2018 establishment of the North East Child Victims Task Force, a crime investigation-focused team and facility. acts perpetrated against children.
In 2017, Thompson successfully advocated for other medical examiners to test the statewide buildup of sexual assault kits uncovered during the Kansas Sexual Assault Kit Initiative led by the KBI, and to expedite the submission and future testing of this valuable forensic evidence. In 2019, under Thompson, the KBI created a cybercrime unit to investigate large-scale cyber threats in Kansas. Thompson also secured multimillion-dollar funding and support for major updates to several critical criminal justice systems – the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS), the Kansas Incident-Based Reporting System ( KIBRS) and the Kansas Criminal Justice Information System (KCJIS).
While at the KBI, Thompson served on the Kansas Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training, Kansas Human Trafficking Advisory Board, Midwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Executive Board, Kansas Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Advisory Board, Kansas Commission on Emergency Planning and Response, and many other boards, committees and commissions. Thompson was also an active member of the Kansas Sheriffs’ Association, Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police, Kansas Peace Officers Association, and Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies.
Attorney General Derek Schmidt said of Thompson’s service, “Kirk Thompson has been an outstanding leader for the KBI. Never drawing attention to himself, he always insisted on the highest standards of professionalism and drove the Office forward in so many quiet yet critical ways. I am extremely grateful that he answered that call over 11 years ago, and I wish Kirk and his family well in the next chapter of life.
“Being director of the KBI was the highlight of my career. I am grateful to Attorney General Schmidt for giving me the opportunity to work with the exceptional men and women of the KBI, and alongside our federal, state and local law enforcement partners,” said Thompson. .
“I am very proud of what this agency has accomplished over the past decade to protect the public and achieve justice for victims of violent crime. Although many public safety challenges still face our state, I am absolutely confident that the KBI will continue to successfully meet these challenges and strive to make Kansas a better place to live,” Thompson added.
Thompson began retirement discussions several months ago, and KBI employees were officially notified of his retirement plans in early November. He agreed to serve until the end of the year.
In retirement, Thompson plans to travel with his wife, Stephanie, and spend more time with his daughter, son-in-law and three grandchildren. He also looks forward to devoting free time to volunteer opportunities and new hobbies.