Kelsi Burr adds new pins to her father’s uniform as her brother, Mason, looks on Tuesday night. Eric Burr was officially promoted Tuesday night as the new Ark City Police Chief. (Photos courtesy ACPD)
Capt. Eric Burr was named the newest chief of the Arkansas City Police Department during a City Commission meeting Tuesday night at City Hall.
Burr, who has served as interim police chief since former chief Dan Ward’s retirement on March 3, recently celebrated his 25th year with the police department and with the City of Arkansas City.
“In fulfilling the role of interim police chief, it became apparently very quickly that Eric was the right person for the job,” City Manager Randy Frazer said Tuesday night, according to a press release from the city. “He has the trust and respect of the officers of the department, City staff, elected officials and, most importantly, the citizens of Arkansas City.
“We are very fortunate to have someone of Eric’s caliber in our ranks to elevate to this important position.”
Following his promotion, Burr’s children, Kelsie and Mason Burr, pinned his new chief’s pins on his uniform and City Clerk Lesley Shook administered his chief’s oath of honor in front of the commissioners.
Burr thanked the commissioners for their confidence in him, credited Ward for setting the department on an excellent path and pledged to maintain that momentum, while building and growing it.
“If I were to identify the areas that I am most passionate about, it would be maintaining positive relations with the community, officer physical and mental wellness, suicide prevention — especially among our youth — and the issues facing our youth today,” Burr said, highlighting his strategic priorities.
He began his law enforcement career in January 1995 in Anthony. Shortly after graduating from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center, he made the move to back to his hometown of Ark City.
During his time with the Ark City Police Department, which began June 20, 1996, Burr initially served on the second shift when officers still were working eight-hour shifts.
Burr
Shortly after, ACPD transitioned to 12-hour shifts and he worked the night shift for a few years until he assumed the role of Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) officer for the 1998-99 school year.
“In the three years that I taught the DARE program to students in the seventh, fifth, third and first grades, I made a number of positive connections in Arkansas City,” Burr recalled.
From there, he moved into ACPD’s Investigations Division, where he served as a detective for two years, with most of his work involving major crimes, felony property crimes and crimes against children.
He also served as the division commander in the absence of the detective lieutenant, who was deployed with the military.
Supervision became the focus of Burr’s career in the following years.
He was promoted to sergeant in 2003 and assigned again to the night shift, where he focused on impaired driving detection. A promotion to lieutenant followed in 2006, resulting in his commanding a night shift for many years.
In 2014, Burr was installed as the department’s accreditation manager to guide ACPD through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies accreditation process.
“This work led to new policy development and new procedures for reviewing and analyzing the department’s processes,” he explained. “During this assignment, I assumed control of the department’s recruitment efforts.”
Burr oversaw the devising of a new approach to recruitment that has helped to build a positive culture among department members. Community outreach began to play a huge role in rebranding how the community viewed the Arkansas City Police Department. Many school-based programs and community-oriented events were a result of this new focus.
A promotion to captain in 2019, overseeing the Support Services Division, put Burr in charge of investigations, school resource officers, records and property evidence room personnel. He also temporarily commanded the Patrol Division before assuming the duties of interim chief this March.
Burr has attended many hours of training that include crime prevention, criminal investigations, supervision and leadership. He currently is in the process of completing University of Kansas’ Certified Public Management course.
He also chairs the Suicide Prevention of Cowley County Coalition and serves as a Big Brother for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cowley County.
