The Wichita Fraternal Order of Police is flexing its political clout — with the backing of state and national police union leaders — against Wichita Mayor Brandon Whipple.
The FOP endorsed Whipple, a Democrat, in 2019. This year, it has endorsed challenger Lily Wu, a Libertarian.
On Monday, two days before advance ballots start hitting mailboxes across the city, the FOP called a news conference to renew criticism of Whipple for his behavior at a neighborhood cleanup event last fall, for which he was found to have violated the City Council’s ethics policy and ordered to undergo ethics training, which he completed in July.
Last year, the local, state and national FOPs called on Whipple to resign after he clashed with a police officer at the cleanup event. Whipple apologized publicly. But FOP leaders said he should apologize to the officer personally.
Nearly the entire Republican delegation of county and state elected officials attended the police union press conference, including House Speaker Dan Hawkins and three of four GOP members of the Sedgwick County Commission: David Dennis, Jim Howell and Ryan Baty.
The FOP conference followed a text message campaign over the weekend funded by the Wichita Regional Chamber PAC that directs potential voters to body-camera video of Whipple’s heated exchange with Officer Atlee Vogt.
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