Kirk Thompson, Director of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) has announced he will be retiring, effective January 10, 2023.
Thompson has served as KBI Director for over 11 years. His law enforcement service spanned more than 46 years.
Thompson first entered law enforcement in 1976 as a deputy sheriff with the Barton County Sheriff’s Office, serving the community of Great Bend. 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, and the Kansas Certified Pubic Manager program. Attorney General Derek Schmidt appointed Thompson as the 12th Director of the KBI in July of 2011.
During Thompson’s tenure, he worked to enhance every division of the Bureau. In 2012, in partnership with the FBI, the first satellite Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory in the nation was established at KBI headquarters to conduct timely analysis of digital forensic evidence. The Bureau opened its Forensic Science Center in 2015. Also during his time as Director, Thompson expanded the KBI child victims unit, to include the 2018 creation of the Northeast Child Victim Task Force, a team and facility focused on investigating major crimes perpetrated against children.
