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WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – For the first time, FactFinder 12 sat down with Wichita’s new police chief.
Joseph “Joe” Sullivan comes to Wichita from Philadelphia, where he retired from the local police department in 2020 as a deputy commissioner. After serving the Philadelphia Police Department for more than 25 years, he moved to work for a company that sells body armor and personal protective equipment. Sullivan also runs a charity to help the families and children of fallen first responders.
Civil lawsuit pending against new Wichita police chief brought concerns about an alleged lack of transparency on the part of the city of Wichita. Sitting down with FactFinder 12 Investigator Haley Tucker, Sullivan addressed the concerns and discussed his plans for the Wichita Police Department. You can read the transcript of the individual interview below.
Tucker: “We talked about this a little earlier, you’ve only been here for about three or four days. How are things going?”
Sullivan: “Definitely hectic, there’s a lot of catching up to do, but it’s also a really exciting time. A very inspiring time. I spent some time with a lot of officers, I had tacos one night, I had breakfast with a sergeant, I’m talking to as many officers as I can, getting as much insight as possible.”
Tucker: “How do you address those concerns to the public, you’re from a bigger department, a bigger city coming to a smaller city?”
Sullivan: “I think you just have to give me a little time to show what I’m capable of doing, demonstrating my commitment to the city of Wichita. I mean, I’m excited to be here. So far everything I’ve seen, I really love this city. And I’m really excited to become a member of the community.” “… Everything I’ve done in Philadelphia has positioned me perfectly, all the issues I’ve dealt with. The changes I made in Philadelphia, the challenges I took on, really positioned me well to move forward and do what the community wants to see me do here in Wichita.”
With the lawsuit pending, a former Philadelphia police lieutenant under Sullivan, who is Hispanic, claims she was discriminated against based on her race and gender and retaliated against for reporting it.
“Everybody can do what they want, proving it’s a different story,” Sullivan said. “I managed almost 5,000 people in Philadelphia and I left with a pending case that the city of Philadelphia issued a very strong statement when it hit the media, letting it be known that they supported me.”
Some members of the Wichita commission, which played a key role in the city’s hiring of Sullivan, said they were unaware of the lawsuit. Sullivan said he disclosed the information from the beginning.
Tucker: “During any of these interviews, the Zoom interviews, the in-person interviews, did the lawsuit ever come up?”
Sullivan: “No, but to be clear, in my initial interview with the recruiter that information was disclosed and it was my responsibility, I disclosed it. When you’re a police officer, lawsuits are unfortunately an occupational reality. I am really comfortable answering any questions and accusations. We will let the process unfold itself.”
Sullivan received his badge last week and said he is ready to lead the department.
“A lot of good things are happening here. I am very impressed with the officers and their desire to improve the department. I’m going to build on those pluses and maximize them,” Sullivan said. “I’m going to make sure that I’m telling the story of the department and I’m going to make sure that whether it’s good or bad, the public is aware of what’s going on in the department.” And make sure the public has input into how I’m going to fix those things that need to be fixed.
In an October news release announcing Sullivan’s appointment, the city of Wichita said he will start in early December and will have an annual salary starting at $210,000.
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