Tim Burnett was appointed by a unanimous vote of the Merriam City Council on Monday, January 9, 2012, to serve as Chief of Police for the City of Merriam.

Burnett, a 29-year veteran of the Merriam Police Department, had served as interim chief since December 2011, when the City’s former police chief, Bill Lietzke, retired.

“We are fortunate to have a department brimming with talent and professionalism,” said Merriam City Administrator Phil Lammers. “Burnett brings a depth of experience and knowledge to the post, and his devotion to our community is unparalleled.”
Burnett joined the Merriam Police Department in 1982 as a patrol officer. He worked many years as the lead detective for the department, and was promoted to Sergeant in 1997.  He became a Lieutenant in 2000, and was then promoted to Captain in 2005. Burnett was responsible for the operation and conduct of the department in the chief’s absence, and served as patrol commander responsible for the supervision of the uniformed division of the Merriam Police Department.

“It is an honor to become the Chief for the City of Merriam Police Department,” says Burnett.  “I grew up in Merriam and have lived or worked here the majority of my life.  My two predecessors, Chief Bill Lietzke and [current Mayor] Chief Ken Sissom, did a great job preparing the department and myself for the future,” says Burnett.  “I look forward to leading this great organization of police professionals as we face new challenges and further explore opportunities to better serve our community.”

Chief Burnett is a proud graduate of Shawnee Mission North High School. He received his bachelor's degree from Avila College and graduated from the FBI National Academy in 2007.

For more information contact: Phil Lammers, City Administrator, 913-322-5501, or Tim Burnett, Chief of Police, 913-322-5589.

The photo at the left shows two pistols.  The one on top is a Glock model  27, .40 caliber handgun.  The one on the bottom is an air soft pellet gun.  Recently in Brownsville, TX, an eighth grade student was shot by police when he pointed a pellet gun at them.  If you saw someone with the pellet gun shown here, would you believe it to be real?

Recovered Property

The Merriam Police Department has recovered a stolen vehicle, and property inside that vehicle appears to have been taken in area auto burglaries.  The link below will take you to a picture gallery of the recovered property.  If you recognize any of the property as yours, please contact Det. Nick Weiler at 913-322-5568 or at nweiler@merriam.org.  Please leave your name, phone number and the picture ID number (eg. Recovered Property 001) of your property.

The Merriam Police Department operates under the "Community Policing Philosophy"...

This means we are committed to providing the highest quality of police services by partnering with you - the citizens of our community. Together, we work as a team to maintain a high quality of living in Merriam, keeping it a safe place to be. This crime bulletin lets us share information with you, helping us reach these goals. We hope you forward this to others who will find it interesting and useful!

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