Becoming police chief was never something Wheeles put much thought into, especia

• Bryan Wheeles wanted to do — or even thought he was capable of doing — when he joined the Topeka Police Department in 1994, he recalled Tuesday.

“But you grow into these roles,” Wheeles said during a morning ceremony in which city manager Brent Trout named him police chief on a permanent basis.

His path to becoming a law enforcement officer wasn’t following in his parents’ footsteps. He came from a family of educators and was the first member to join a police department.

“My father, my mother, aunts and uncles are all teachers, principals and superintendents,” he said. “But from a very young age, I always wanted to be involved in law enforcement.”

Becoming police chief was never something Wheeles put much thought into, especially early in his career. He said he just wanted to serve a community.

Throughout his almost three decades in law enforcement, Wheeles has worn various hats. He’s worked undercover, narcotics and homicide. There was a deeper element to these positions, though: The people he met and interacted with.

As my knowledge and my relationships with the community grew, so did my desire to serve and protect in different ways,” Wheeles said.

Wheels said TPD has served the community with its co-responder program. This program sends a police officer and mental health professional to respond to certain 911 calls. While not a new policy for Topeka — it has been in place for a few years — other police departments are starting to adopt similar practices.

Wheeles said the program has put the department in a good position and expressed satisfaction with its community service partners. He said the department is trying to remain flexible when it comes to future endeavors and partnerships.

Wheeles has begun to hold staff meetings in public, which give people the opportunity to speak with him directly. The most recent meeting was at Red Bud Park in NOTO. Future meetings will be in Betty Phillips Park, Forest Park and others that will be