01/31/2026
If you enjoy or visit your Kansas State Parks, please read this information.
Update: KDWP has reversed course and will not be decertifying officers. A sincere thanks to everyone who reached out to KDWP and legislators to express your concerns.
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Wildlife and Parks Public Safety Update #1: I have now received a written internal communication from a separate KDWP employee that clearly outlines the direction being taken. According to that document, Park Managers and Assistant Park Managers will be decertified as law enforcement officers, and all Public Lands staff with law enforcement duties will also be decertified, with their responsibilities redirected solely to operations and maintenance. Park Rangers (NRO I & II) would remain certified but report through the Law Enforcement Division. In practical terms, this confirms that approximately 80 commissioned personnel, including Public Lands Managers, Park Managers, Assistant Managers, regional supervisors, and directors, are slated to lose their law enforcement authority.
I have also been advised that affected personnel would be moved from KP&F retirement, which was designed for law enforcement officers and firefighters, into the KPERS system, which provides substantially lower benefits. That change, combined with the loss of commission status, represents a major shift in both professional role and long-term security for these employees.
I have heard from a large number of Wildlife and Parks employees from all three divisions who have reached out expressing serious concerns about leadership decisions and the current work environment within the department. The volume and consistency of these concerns are notable. Morale impacts, safety concerns, and uncertainty about the future of field operations are recurring themes.
The letter references a cross-divisional committee whose work was cited as part of the basis for the restructure. However, I have had two separate sources state that the committee’s original recommendation was that changes of this magnitude should not be made, and that this direction proceeded after that recommendation was not accepted. I share this as information relayed to me, but it raises additional questions about the process behind these decisions.
There will be more updates as additional information becomes available. I believe it is important that the public has a clear picture of how these changes affect public safety, staff retention, and day-to-day operations on our public lands.
I will close with a statement from one Wildlife and Parks employee who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation: “Who’s winning, Secretary Kennedy? It’s certainly not the staff, it’s certainly not our state’s natural resources, it’s certainly not hunters, and it’s certainly not the public. So who is it?”
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