By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
Steven Haulmark grew up in Olathe, Kansas, went to Olathe
South High School and cheers for the Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas State
University. This past week has allowed the community to get to know Haulmark
better as he was appointed to become the next Great Bend Police Chief. Serving with
the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department for the past 25 years and most
recently as Assistant Chief, Haulmark says he is excited to be settling into a
community the size of Great Bend.
"I got on the internet and started my search there," said Haulmark. "Then I drove down and started driving around and I was impressed with what I saw. It had been my goal for quite a few years now to move to a smaller community."
The current authorized staff size for the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department
is 369 employees. The Great Bend Police Department operates with just over 30
staff members. Haulmark says coming out west might be a slower pace, but people are still people when it comes to policing.
City Administrator Kendal
Francis noted Haulmark stood out from the other 21 applicants because of his
experience and what he referred to as community policing.
"He has a lot of experience in community policing," said Francis. "Kansas City, Kansas has went with that model for several years."
Haulmark says he tries to form relationships with the Police Department and
different shareholders in the community. Once those relationships are built,
the idea is to have community members help law enforcement with fighting crime,
the perception of crime and quality of life issues.
Haulmark has met with most of the department heads within the Great Bend Police
Department. He plans to meet with his command staff to get a feel for what is
working and what might need to be changed.
Haulmark’s first day with the City of
Great Bend is Jan. 4, 2021.
Haulmark replaces Police Chief David Bailey, whom is retiring Dec. 18 after over 40 years with the Police Department.