The new police chief for the Lenexa Police Department is vowing transparency and communication after a controversial year.
On Dec. 29, 2025, the City of Lenexa announced Deputy Eric Schmitz, an officer with 29 years of experience in law enforcement, including the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office and Lenexa Police Department, as the new chief of police.
Schmitz is taking over for former Chief Dawn Layman, who retired in December from her role in Lenexa to take a new job as chief of police in Breckenridge, Colorado.
Schmitz inherits the role of top cop after the department faced scrutiny last year, particularly for a fatal officer-involved shooting and the questioning of a city councilmember’s citizenship.
Originally hailing from Minnesota, Schmitz brings 29 years of experience to the role, including work as a deputy with the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office and police canine handler and master police officer for the Lenexa Police Department.
In those years on the job, Schmitz said he’s seen the positive relationships law enforcement has had with the community. He hopes to continue and enhance those relationships.
“I enjoy having the opportunity to really be out in the community and having an impact on people’s lives and helping them through tough situations,” he said.
“You’ve got to be able to humble yourself”
As police chief, Schmitz is inheriting the role after a controversial year for the department.
On June 22, 2025, a Lenexa police officer fatally shot Jose Enrique Cartagena Chacon, 25, of Grandview, Missouri, while responding to a 911 call of a man with a gun at a Lenexa apartment complex.
In October, Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe, accompanied by Layman, announced at a press conference that he would not press charges against the two officers at the scene, saying they reasonably believed their lives were in danger because Chacon was holding a firearm and refused to listen to the officers’ commands. Investigators later determined Chacon’s weapon to be an unloaded pellet gun.
Then, in August, Lenexa Councilmember Melanie Arroyo announced at a city council meeting that Layman had contacted her and asked her to prove her citizenship following an anonymous call to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation that questioned her immigration status.
In those situations, Schmitz said transparency goes a long way to keep the public’s trust.
“Being visible, being transparent and being available is important,” he said.
He added: “I think the biggest part of that is being available and having the opportunity to be able to communicate with people, (like) ‘This is what I can tell you right now and we’ll keep you up to date as much as we can.’ As long as you’re communicating, that may not appease everybody, but you’re at least trying.”
Keeping in touch with Lenexa’s governing body is also key, he says. Schmitz attends city council meetings and makes himself available to both councilmembers and the public.
“You’ve got to be able to talk to people. You’ve got to be able to listen to people. You’ve got to be able to humble yourself and be able to understand people’s perspectives and viewpoints. And so I think those connections with something like city council are very important,” he said.
Schmitz has been with Lenexa PD for nearly 30 years
Since he was a kid watching local police give a demonstration on the use of canines in law enforcement, Schmitz said he’s wanted to be an officer.
In 1997, Schmitz moved to Johnson County to work as a deputy sheriff with the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office. One year later, he joined the Lenexa Police Department as a patrol officer.
Through almost three decades of work, he’s climbed the ranks in the department, in roles that include corporal, sergeant in patrol and investigations, captain and major. In December 2023, he was appointed as deputy chief of police.
In that time, Schmitz said he always felt supported by Lenexa and his residents, which prompted him to apply for chief of police.
“Our city does a great job at building this community and what we have. It’s a special place. And I think that it’s kind of an honor to take this on and kind of help lead that forward,” he said.
Lenexa PD continues to expand
As he takes up the role as police chief, Schmitz is inheriting a police force in an expanding part of Johnson County.
One of his big goals is making sure they have the amount of officers that will be able to keep up with the demand of a growing population.
As the police department adopts technology that’s used to respond to emergencies, like its use of drones as first responders, Schmitz said they want to be thoughtful about what technology they adopt.
“There’s a ton of technology out there and I think it’s about being smart with it. ‘What are we bringing in?’ ‘Is it truly efficient for what we need?’ and ‘Does it truly help our officers and keep our community safe?'” he said.
