By TONY GUERRERO
Hays Post
The Hays chief of police spoke to a Senate committee on Wednesday in Topeka, voicing support for legislation that provides assistance to police departments in navigating the death of an officer.
Senate Bill 445 would add a provision that, upon request of a Kansas law enforcement agency, the Kansas Highway Patrol superintendent and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation director would provide temporary personnel and other assistance to support funeral services for officers killed in the line of duty.
Hays Police Chief Don Scheibler addressed the Senate Committee on Transportation on Wednesday, representing the Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police, the Kansas Sheriff Association and the Kansas Peace Officers Association.
Scheibler said a line-of-duty death is devastating, yet the agency must immediately manage complex ceremonies and continue maintaining public safety.
He refers to the killing of Hays Police Sgt. Scott Heimann, who died Sept. 28, 2025. He was the first officer in the department’s history to be killed in the line of duty.
"Our department was grieving, and our responsibility to honor Scott, care for his family, support our personnel and continue to serve the public quickly became overwhelming," Scheibler said.
Kansas Line of Duty Death Coordinator and Director of the Kansas Law Enforcement Memorial Advisory Committee Doug Woods also voiced support for the bill.
Woods said Kansas saw significant loss in 2025 with the additional deaths of Phillips County Undersheriff Brandon Gaede, Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Deputy Elijah Ming and Kansas City Police Officer Hunter Simoncic.
All four officers died between June and September.
"This was a pretty terrible summer," KBI director Tony Mattivi said at the hearing. "One of the many things we learned this summer is the diversity when it comes to law enforcement agencies in Kansas. Some don't need much help, but there are others who need a great deal of help."
Woods said the KHP and KBI are well-equipped to assist other agencies.
Mattivi said he is concerned future directors and successors might not continue the practice, and supports making it a formal obligation.
During these tragedies, the Kansas line-of-duty funeral assistance team supported law enforcement with funeral services, parking control, temporary staffing, honor guard details and peer counseling.
Scheibler said the line-of-duty death team coordinated plans to bring Scott home from Wichita, where he died, and organized the candlelight vigil and graveside services.
"I was impressed by their professionalism, attention to detail and especially their patience with me," Scheibler said. "I personally witnessed their compassion as they worked closely with Scott's wife... ensuring her wishes were honored."
Scheibler said the team also assigned a dedicated family liaison to the Heimann family. The KBI provided more than 700 hours of peer support to the Hays Police Department alone.
Scheibler read a letter from Beth Heimann, Scott's wife, about the assistance provided by KHP and the KBI
"They did not simply show up in my darkest hour. They stayed, walked beside me through shock, grief, logistics and survival. They treated me not as a case, but as a person, wife and mother whose life has been shattered. Their compassion, professionalism and humanity are the reasons I'm standing today."
The committee passed the bill without objection.